Failure Hero
by z shadow619
Summary: Losing in the Unova League, Ash loses his drive. His failures have caught up to him, and Ash is sick of never succeeding as a trainer. But as Team Plasma begins their master plan, he and Dawn get enlisted by Cynthia and Alder to help stop them.
1. Attack

**Failure Hero**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

**Sometimes Ash loses his drive after losing a big match. Failures can catch up to you, after all, and Ash is sick of being second best. Hopefully Dawn can pull him out of this, because he's going to be needed in the fight against Team Plasma.**

**This is my shot at a longer adventure story. I'm going to try and keep this a good balance of seriousness, grittiness, but I want to keep the lighthearted feel of the series as well. So I'll try to keep a good balance of angst, goofiness, romance, darkness adventure. A lot of the adventure stories I see tend to go into darker territory – which I love, for sure, don't get me wrong – but I also want to keep a good feel for the core, goofy show.**

* * *

><p>There was a party in Pewter City that night, and it had the whole town buzzing. All except for the one person who the party was thrown <em>for.<em>

Ash Ketchum, age ten, sighed as he stared himself down in the mirror. He had escaped into Brock's restroom, tired of being congratulated by people he didn't even know, who had only seen him from his televised League matches.

What's worse, he wasn't even sure why they were congratulating him in the first place. _It's not like I won…_

Sure, he knew the reason Brock threw the party, it just didn't make much sense in his mind. Ash had made it to the finals of the Unova League. He had come in second, which was the highest ranking Ash had ever managed to achieve in an official League Tournament.

_It's no reason to celebrate._ Ash thought, as he stared at the black-haired boy reflected in the glass. _No reason to have to put on a stupid suit, and get embarrassed in front of all my friends, not to mention half of Kanto, and pretend I actually accomplished anything._

Pikachu sat on the ledge of the sink, looking up at Ash, confused. He tilted his head and asked his trainer, "Pika?"

Ash forced a smile at his companion. "Sorry buddy, just thinking. You probably want to get out there and get more food." He paused, before adding in a teasing tone, "Or maybe you just want to see Dawn's Buneary again?"

"Chu! Chu Pi!" Pikachu responded angrily, shaking its head vigorously.

Ash laughed. No matter what, Pikachu was always there to help him out, and he had to admit, it made getting through the party all that much better.

Not that Ash didn't like seeing all his friends again, especially considering it had been ages since he had seen some of them…but he just didn't feel up to it. Not after losing in the finals of the Unova League, to some mysterious trainer named N. And once again, his defeat had come at the hands of a legendary Pokemon, the Fire Dragon Reshiram. It had hit him particularly hard. He had returned home not long after, just wanting to be alone for awhile. _Five official league tournaments. Five failures._

So one could imagine his shock and his dismay when Brock was waiting for Ash at his house, to inform him of the party he was throwing in Ash's honor the _next night._

_It's not like I could say no, though._ Ash reasoned to himself, as he walked back out into the gym, _Brock put a lot of thought into this._

Pikachu followed Ash at his heels, until something caught his eye on the food table. He pulled at Ash's pant-legs, causing the trainer to look down at his buddy. "What's up?"

Pikachu pointed frantically to the table. Ash looked up following his gaze, and sighed when he realized Pikachu was actually pointing at some ketchup bottles. Ash looked down to see the electric mouse Pokemon staring up at him with pleading eyes.

"…fine, just save some for everyone else." Ash said, facepalming.

"PIKA!" Pikachu cried in ecstasy as it bolted towards the red, tomato-flavored treasure.

"Some things never change, huh Ash?" He heard a feminine voice behind him.

He turned around to see a familiar mop of red hair. Misty was there with Tracey.

"No, guess not. How have you two been?" Ash asked, happy to see them. _I can't believe they got together. I never saw that coming._

"We've been great, Ash! But clearly not as great as you. You've come a long way since placing in the top sixteen at your first League Tournament!" Misty said encouragingly while she gave him a quick hug.

_I doubt it. I still always fail to reach the top._ Ash thought. But everyone was here to have a good time, so instead, he forced a smile and said, "Thanks guys. Means a lot to me. Glad you could make it."

Suddenly, a new song came on over the speakers, causing Misty to perk up. "Come on Tracey, I love this song! Let's go dance." She grabbed his hand and began dragging him away.

Tracey just sighed and followed the Gym Leader, turning back and yelling, "Catch you later, Ash!"

Ash chuckled slightly. "Man, that guy is Vine Whipped. Ah well, long as they're happy."

The young man's stomach gurgled slightly. _Looks like I should go join Pikachu at the food table before my gut gets louder than the music._

Ash walked over to his Pokemon, guzzling down his second bottle of ketchup. "Buddy, I think I'm going to have to cut you off."

Pikachu looked up sadly, and pointed at the ten other bottles left.

"...okay, just one more." Ash sighed.

"CHAAA!" Pikachu cried happily.

Ash chuckled.

"Hey, there's the guest of honor!" He heard a familiar voice call out from behind him.

Ash turned around and was promptly glomped by May and Dawn. Of course, he turned beat red as the two beautiful girls hugged him. "H-hey you two. What's up?"

The two girls giggled to each other, as it was rather cute to see Ash blushing over a hug. "Well we wanted to congratulate you, of course!" May exclaimed.

Ash once again forced himself to smile and thank them for the kind words. "Thanks guys, I appreciate that you came out for this."

May beamed, but Dawn frowned slightly. She could have sworn that she could hear a hint of sadness in Ash's voice, and a bit of pain in his brown eyes.

"So Ash," Dawn began, trying to confirm if there was something the boy was hiding, "what are you going to do now that your Unova adventure is done?"

Ash paused. She was the first one not to dole out a standard "congratulations" or "good job" that night. And to be honest, he wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do next. "I uh...guess I haven't really thought about it..." This time as well, a little more of his despair leaked through his words, that both May and Dawn were able to catch.

_Something is bothering him..._Dawn concluded, _I wonder what he's hiding?_

Dawn herself knew a bit about self-esteem issues. Growing up in her mother's shadow, Ash had been able to cheer her up a few times when she had quit on herself. She would always be grateful for giving her strength on their journey, and over time, she had developed some feelings for the boy. Even as she had traveled to Hoenn, she always reminisced of her time spent traveling with Ash, and how different it was going it alone. For all that he had done for her, she felt a sense of devotion to repay his kindness.

May broke the momentary silence with, "Well, Dawn and I were thinking about traveling together to maybe compete in a contest circuit. We aren't sure where yet, though. Was there a contest circuit in Unova?"

Ash shook his head. "No, contests are new to them. It's coming around in popularity on TV, but I doubt they'll have one for awhile."

May's face fell. "Well, we'll have to figure something out. No rush, I guess - oh." She paused, craning her neck to see around Ash. He politely stepped to the side, causing her to blush as he and Dawn realized what she was doing.

She had spotted Drew across the gym in a suit. Ash and Dawn glanced at each other and snickered. "Be a little more obvious there, May." Ash taunted.

May's blushed got a little worse. "Oh, hardy har har. Well, unlike SOME people, I'm going to do something about my crush." She shot a pointed look at Dawn that luckily Ash didn't notice, but it did cause the blue-haired coordinator to blush as well. "Now, if you'll excuse me." May finished, leaving the two as she pursued the green-haired coordinator.

"What the heck is she talking about now?" Ash asked while laughing. He looked back at Dawn. "You feeling warm Dawn? You look a little red."

Dawn sighed in relief. "Oh, I'm fine. But...how about you? Are you okay?"

Ash paused briefly. He had always had a crush on Dawn, and he appreciated everything she had done for him. Somehow, she always knew how to cheer him up, or encourage him. But right now, even the pretty girl that he had feelings for couldn't bring him around. _She somehow always manages to see right through me_, he thought nervously. "Yeah...no need to worry, right Dawn?" He said, once again faking cheerfulness.

Dawn jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, leaning up on the table next to him. "Hey now, you keep stealing my catchphrase, I'll have to fine you for it."

Ash smirked. "Been hanging around Barry?"

Dawn shook her head. "Are you kidding? To hang out, one has to sit still for a little while."

"Good one." Ash remarked, looking down to his feet. Dawn noticed he had a faraway look in his eyes.

"Ash..." she started, but he cut her off.

"Hey, look...it's great seeing you Dawn, but maybe we could talk more later...I need to take a walk, get some air." He said, trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Do you want some company?" Dawn asked hopefully. She would love to have some alone time with the young trainer. _Maybe find out what's got you looking so down..._

Unfortunately for her, Ash shook his head. "No...I don't really feel like talking right now. Come on Pikachu."

Pikachu reluctantly dropped his ketchup bottle and hopped up onto Ash's shoulder. Dawn frowned at his retreating back. _That doesn't sound like the Ash I know..._ She thought worriedly. The last time he had gotten that way was...after his loss to Paul.

_Of course,_ she rationalized to herself, _this was another big loss, to another legendary-wielding trainer. Maybe he isn't feeling up to this? I should have known_. _He only ever gets like this if he feels like he failed._

She felt rather conflicted. She wanted to follow after him, but she didn't want to upset him anymore than he already was.

"Hey Dawn, good to see you!" An older voice called out to her. She turned around to see Brock.

"Hey Brock, good to see you too!" She replied happily. "Awesome party! Thanks for inviting me!"

"But of course! Wasn't Ash just with you? I've been looking all over for him." Brock asked, looking around, confused.

Dawn frowned. "He...I don't know Brock, he seems kinda down. He went for a walk, said he had to clear his mind."

"Down? What for? Everyone is here for him! He's the star of the party!" Brock questioned.

Dawn shrugged. " He wouldn't say. I want to go after him, but I don't know, maybe that would just make him more upset?"

Brock thought for awhile. "Most of the time, I'd say to just let him cool off on his own. But if being surrounded by my awesome cooking and all his friends isn't doing it, I say go for it, Dawn. Just don't wait too long, I don't want him to miss out. This party is for him, after all."

"Good plan," Dawn answered thoughtfully, "I'm going to go look for him now, or else I may never catch up to him."

Dawn took off out of the gym entrance.

Brock looked over the food table and began to load up for a few minutes. He sat down at a nearby table with May, Max, and Drew, proud of his confectionery talents. As they talked, Brock scanned the gym for some girls to woo, when someone completely unexpected burst in through the gym doors – Lance, the champion of the Kanto and Johto League.

"Brock, where are y- there you are!" He yelled frantically. He ran up to the training Pokemon doctor and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Listen, we've got to get everyone out of here."

Brock tilted his head in confusion. "Lance, what are you doing here?"

"There's no time to explain-" Lance began, before Max cut him off:

"Oh wow, a champion! Can I have your autograph?" Max asked excitedly.

"LISTEN TO ME!" Lance yelled, panic evident in his voice. "We have reason to believe this building will be targeted. EVERYONE NEEDS TO EVACUATE!"

Everyone at the table sprung up. "Targeted for what?" Drew asked.

"There's no time!" Lance replied, running up to where the hired DJ was.

"Yo dawg, get out my business!" The DJ said, before realizing who he was talking to. As he did, he quickly stepped away before meekly adding. "My apologies, sir."

Lance ignored him completely, and grabbed his microphone. "I'm sorry, but by orders of the Kanto Pokemon League, every needs to evacuate this building – NOW. And I need to see Ash Ketchum outside IMMEDIATELY. I repeat, leave this building, it may be-"

As he announced this, a small explosion came from the women's restroom, and a small fireball blew the door off. Everyone in the gym screamed. "OUT! NOW!" Lance screamed, before calling out his Gyarados to try and quell the flames.

Everyone in the gym made a mad dash for the doors, as a few more explosions began to go off in the building...

* * *

><p>Dawn was walking through the streets of Pewter City with Piplup by her side, looking for any sign of Ash.<p>

"I should have gone after him sooner, Piplup. I don't see him anywhere. Doesn't help that I have no idea where I'm going." Dawn said with a defeated sigh.

"Piplup..." The penguin Pokemon replied sadly. However, it noticed a weird stain on the ground. It dipped its flipper in it and raised it up to Dawn.

"What's that?" Dawn asked, crouching down next to Piplup. She leaned in close and sniffed. "...ketchup? Well, Pikachu had been drinking ketchup when I was talking to Ash. Let's see if we can find a trail."

"Pip?" Piplup asked.

Dawn shrugged. "I don't know why Pikachu was eating ketchup. But keep it down, I don't want him to hear us and take off or something..."

Scanning the area, Dawn found a few more globs of ketchup down a certain path. Quietly following them, they diverged from the sidewalk into a playground. In the distance she saw what looked like a young man sitting on a swing, with a Pikachu on the swing next to him.

Dawn shot her Piplup a glance, and motioned for them to sneak over behind some bushes that were nearby. As they did, Dawn was able to pick up on what Ash was saying.

"To be honest, Pikachu, I don't even know why I'm here. This whole party just seems stupid." He said to the electric type Pokemon.

"Pi?" Pikachu questioned.

"So I got second place. Big deal. All that means is this time, I was the highest ranked loser in the tournament. I still failed. I always fail. Once a loser, always a loser." Ash explained.

_So he thinks he's a failure._ Dawn realized. _I guess he's been at it for awhile. His loss must have really affected him._

"Pikachu Pi Cha." Pikachu responded in a hopeful tone.

"I know, I know, keep trying, all that stuff...but I mean, it seems ridiculous. Every time I get near the top of the mountain, there is always someone better than me. Someone who has a legendary Pokemon, which they would have had to be strong enough to catch in the first place. Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a champion or Pokemon Master. Maybe I'm just weak." He sighed, holding his head in his hands.

"Pika..." his companion replied, sounding sad at his trainer's words.

"I don't know. It's kind of funny, isn't it? I've been the so-called Chosen One, more than once, and yet, I never seem to succeed in anything. Whoever is doing the choosing isn't doing a very good job, are they?" He asked Pikachu, laughing bitterly.

Picking her spot carefully, Dawn quietly walked over to an empty swing next to Ash and sat down. Ash glanced over at her in surprise, but said nothing. Piplup walked over to Pikachu, and the two Pokemon began chattering to each other.

After a few moments of uneasy silence, Dawn turned to him and said. "I disagree. I think whoever chose you made a great decision."

Ash didn't return her gaze, just stared forward into the horizon. "Yeah? What makes you say that?"

"Ash...do you know why I went to Hoenn?" Dawn asked.

Ash glanced over just for a second before turning back to the horizon. "No, why?"

"Because of you." Dawn answered simply.

"I don't follow you, Dawn." He said, confused.

"Ash...there were so many times when we were traveling together in Sinnoh that I wanted to quit, or didn't feel like I was good enough. But I would always watch you train, and raise your Pokemon in the way that no one else could. Every time you fell you got back up, and overcame everything that got you down in the first place. You're an inspiration to me Ash. You made me want to go to Hoenn and be a better coordinator. To keep trying." Dawn replied in earnest.

Ash just looked down at his feet. "You picked a lousy role model then. If I raised my Pokemon as well as you think I do, I would have won."

Dawn stood up out of frustration. "Ash, don't say that. You'll start to sound like Paul. Who else can say they've done the things that you've done at ten-years-old? Who else can say they've looked Dialga and Palkia in the face and came out without a scratch? Who else can say 'oh hey, I knocked out a Darkrai and a Latios with a Pikachu?' Nobody Ash. Nobody."

Ash continued to look at his feet, but couldn't think of a response, so Dawn continued.

"Ash, how many times did you train with me to make sure I got better? How many times did you go out of your way to let me know I could do anything? You never gave up on me. You never gave up on Pikachu. You never gave up on any of your Pokemon – look at what you did with Infernape!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Maybe he was only strong because of Paul..." Ash said weakly.

Dawn couldn't help but laugh. "Are you kidding? If you hadn't been there, Paul would have killed the poor thing! That's one of the things I admire about you, Ash. If you wanted to, you could go out, zap any Pokemon you wanted and catch them, and only use the strong ones. But you don't. Because you actually care. You only take Pokemon that want to go with you, and if they're happy. You don't judge a Pokemon on if it's already strong or weak, but you love them and train them until they're as strong as you can be. And I don't know if you remember, but you BEAT Paul by doing that."

"I...guess you have a point." Ash conceded.

"I know I do." Dawn stated, "You know what I think?"

"What's that?" Ash asked.

"That there's more to being a Pokemon Master than winning tournaments with legendary Pokemon. I've never seen anyone care about his friends and Pokemon as much as you. Every time you lose – even now – you never blame them. Only yourself. Everytime something bad happens, you were always worried more about Brock and I than yourself. You're the greatest trainer I've ever met. You're the greatest _person_ I've ever met. And I'm not going to sit here and let you give up on yourself." Dawn answered.

Ash looked up at her after a few moments, but said nothing. Dawn met his gaze, not wanting to back down. She was rather surprised though, when he stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. "Thank you." He whispered to her.

Dawn hugged him back, blushing slightly. "You're welcome, Ash. Are you going to be okay?"

Ash let go and plopped back down on the swing, looking up at the starry sky. "I...I think so. I'll have to figure out something to do now."

"Can...can I come with you?" Dawn asked.

Ash looked at her, surprised. "I thought you and May were going to go somewhere?"

Dawn just smiled. "Well, someone needs to make sure you don't quit on yourself again, right?" She winked at him for good measure, and they both laughed.

"Of course Dawn. I'd love for you to come with me." He answered sincerely, making Dawn's heart flutter.

They heard a few loud booms in the distance. Startled, the two turned around to see smoke rising into the air.

"What's going on?" Dawn asked.

Ash shook his head. "I'm not sure but it looks like it's coming from...the gym! Crap! We need to get back there! Pikachu, come on!"

The Pokemon obeyed and hopped onto Ash's shoulders.

"You too, Piplup!" Dawn yelled, and the penguin Pokemon returned to his Pokeball.

* * *

><p>Ash and Dawn made it to the outside of the gym to find it had been taped off from the public. The gym was being doused by local Water Pokemon, as it had been intensely burned. Brock and his siblings were outside towards the front.<p>

"BROCK! BROCK!" Ash yelled, pushing through the crowd to his friend. Brock was trying to comfort his younger siblings at the moment, but stepped away to quickly hug Ash, much to Ash's surprise.

"Ash, thank Arceus you're here! I was worried someone got you!" Brock cried. He then hugged Dawn as well. "It's a good thing you two left when you did."

"Brock, what happened?" Dawn asked nervously. "What happened to the gym?"

At this, Brock's younger siblings began crying harder. Brock could only look down as he answered, "I'm not sure. Lance - you know - the Kanto and Johto champion, came in telling everyone to get out, and was looking for you. Then, as everyone was leaving, explosions happened. Everyone has been panicking since. Lance was looking for you, but I haven't seen him lea-"

"Where's my mom?" Ash said, an unusual stillness in his voice. His eyes were darting all over the crowd in desperation.

Dawn gasped. _Oh no..._

Brock looked around. "I...oh Arceus, Ash, I don't know...she must be in the crowd. ASH, WAIT!"

Ash leapt over the police tape, and was quickly grabbed by Officer Jenny. "Kid, hold on a second, it's not safe!"

Ash struggled against her grip. "I have to find my mom! I don't see her! Please, let me find her!"

Suddenly, a blast came from the side of the gym, causing the building to shake, before finally giving way, and collapsing in a cloud of dust.

Everyone in the crowd ducked out of shock. But Ash was the first to recover. Luckily, the sudden collapse had put out the rest of the flames, as what had been left was crushed under the various debris. Ash hopped onto a pile of rubble and began clearing out what he could, shouting his mother's name as he did.

"Brock...please tell me you can see his mom or Lance in the crowd..." Dawn said, not taking her eyes off the raven-haired trainer.

Brock said nothing. Then gasped loudly, pointed at a shifting piece of stone, and yelled. "Ash, look!"

Ash did as such, and ran over to a quivering slab of concrete, and pulled on it with all his might. Brock quickly ran over to help him, as did Dawn and Officer Jenny. Between the four of them, the slab was toppled over.

Dawn screamed in horror.

The mangled body of Lance was covering Delia Ketchum, who looked to be unconscious. His total lower half had been crushed under the collapsing roof of the gym. His blood was leaking out slowly the underneath the rubble.

"Ash..." The champion grunted, barely breathing, "get your mom to the hospital."

"L...Lance..." Ash stuttered in disbelief.

"No time, kid...I...ugh...I was briefed on you. I didn't want you going on without your mom...I threw my Pokemon belt over there," Lance jerked his head to the side, "...didn't want them to die with me. Take 'em to Oak. Call...Cynthia..." Lance gasped.

"WE NEED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, STAT!" Officer Jenny yelled into a walky-talky. "One woman unconscious, and...the Champion...the Champion..."

Brock quickly scooped Delia up from Lance's protective grasp. Ash and Dawn crouched down to Lance's side.

"Lance...you...saved my mom..." Ash stated, completely floored.

"...'s my job, kid. Cynthia...need...help."

"Mr. Lance, please hold on!" Dawn cried, tears pouring down her face, "Help is coming."

But Lance looked her in the eye, and she knew. His time on Earth was at an end. It just made her cry harder.

Lance turned to Ash, and with his dying breath, told the boy, "Plasma...it's up to you now, kid."

With that, Lance collapsed onto the ground.

Dawn sobbed. _What...what happened...this was just supposed to be a party...I had just gotten through to Ash...why...how can a champion be dead?_

Ash wordlessly walked over to where Lance had pointed his head earlier. He brushed some rocks aside, and found Lance's Pokemon belt in tact. _He gave his life to save my mom and his Pokemon._

Officer Jenny walked up to the scene after reporting for help. Ambulance sirens could be heard approaching in the distance. She exchanged a look with Brock, before somberly stating, "I have to call this." She lifted up her radio again. "We have a stiff...it's the Champion. Lance. Time of death - 10:04 p.m."

Ash walked over to his mother's body, looking from her, to the Pokemon belt he had in his hands, Lance's words echoing through his mind.

"Plasma... ?"

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter 1.<strong>


	2. Assemble

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 2: Assemble**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

><p>One week. Seven days. In the grand scheme of life, this is not a significant chunk of time. But under the right circumstances, one week can be an eternity.<p>

The particular set of circumstances, as it were, happened to be that Delia Ketchum had been in a coma for the past week. While the late Champion, Lance, had succeeded in saving the woman's life, he unable to prevent the injuries that brought this state about.

Ash Ketchum had stayed at the hospital that past week, in a state of numbness that no one found surprising. His grief was completely understandable. And he wasn't alone.

His friends had all come to an informal agreement to take turns staying with him, because they not only were they concerned for Delia, they also wanted to make sure Ash was going to be alright.

Dawn herself had volunteered to stay at his side the most, as she had no other obligations to honor: Brock and his family had to deal with their insurance company re-building the gym, Misty had a gym to run herself, May having the obligation to take care of Max while they were away from Hoenn.

That's what brings us to where we are now: the two young trainers sat across from each other, one on each side of Delia's bed. Ash hadn't said anything the whole day. He never did, really. At least, not to her. And according to the others, he had been giving them the same treatment. But under the conditions, none of them really knew what to say to him either.

Pikachu, restless with worry for both Ash and Delia, was hopping around the room, trying to preoccupy itself.

A doctor came in to the room, looking like any stereotypical doctor: lab coat, clipboard, the whole get up. After a week in and out of the hospital, Dawn couldn't tell any of them apart.

"Mr. Ketchum?" The doctor asked.

Ash squirmed slightly, feeling quite odd about being called 'mister.' "Yes?" He answered.

"Well, your mom has completely stabilized. Her injuries are going to heal up. Which is the good news." The doctor stated.

"...which means there's bad news?" Dawn asked, trying to hide her worry.

The doctor paused and cleared his throat. "Well, in a sense. We don't know when - or if - she's going to come out of it."

Ash just looked down to his feet. He seemed to be at a loss for words, eventually settling on, "...I understand."

"Go home, son. Get some rest. We'll call you the second there is any change in her condition." The doctor reassured, before taking off down the hall.

Dawn stared at the top of Ash's head. He removed his cap and ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

"Do you...need to talk about this?" Dawn asked, hesitantly.

Ash didn't move his head. "Not much to say. But...I have to finish something."

"What's that?" Dawn asked.

Ash removed his backpack and slowly pulled out Lance's Pokemon belt. He looked up at Dawn. "I have to take these to Professor Oak. And Lance told me to call Cynthia. But I..." Ash looked over to his mother, "I couldn't leave without knowing she was at least going to heal."

"Ash..." Dawn began, "Let me come with you."

Ash paused. He appeared to be thinking about it. "I...don't know."

Dawn shook her head. "I'm not taking no for an answer. I'm worried about you. I want to come. I'm not letting you go through this alone."

Ash just shrugged. "Alright, I guess."

"I know you, Ash." Dawn stated, making him tilt his head in surprise. "You always want to take the weight of the world on your shoulders. You have some sort of Chronic Hero Syndrome if I've ever seen it. But not this time."

Pikachu, who had been sitting on the foot of the bed for the time being, simply turned to Ash and nodded in agreement.

Ash gave a small smile for just a second. "...thanks, Dawn." He ruffled the fur on top of Pikachu's head as well. "You're probably right."

Dawn wasn't exactly expecting to win so easily. Normally, Ash had quite the stubborn personality. _Then again, nothing about what's been going on lately has been normal.  
><em>She realized sadly.

Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu left the hospital, heading toward the Viridian Forest. The sun hung high in the air, and as they approached the maze of trees, one could hear bug Pokemon rustling about behind the greenery.

"So why do you think Lance wanted his Pokemon to go to Professor Oak?" Dawn asked as the sun began to be blocked out by the giant trees overhead.

Ash shrugged. _I'm kind of glad she's here. Talking to someone at least takes my mind off of the fact my mom might never wake up again._ "Can't say for sure. I know that my Pokemon, Gary's, and others who start their journey in Pallet Town leave their Pokemon with Professor Oak. But I don't really know where other trainers leave there's."

"So...what do you think Lance meant when he was talking about Plasma?" Dawn said, trying to keep Ash from going silent. She knew well enough that if he started thinking too much about what happened to his mom, he might have trouble continuing.

"Beats me. But the fact that he was looking for me makes me think the bombs were meant for me. And he said something about being briefed on me." Ash said, pulling the brim of his hat down over his eyes.

"Pi..." Pikachu said sadly, nuzzling into Ash's neck sadly.

"Ash, come on, you didn't do anything wrong." Dawn said pleadingly. After what he had been feeling last week, she was worried what had happened would make him blame himself once more.

_Looks like I was right..._ Dawn thought sadly.

"A bomb that was meant for me killed the Champion of _two_ regions, put my mom in a coma, and destroyed one of my best friend's homes." Ash snapped at her, a little angrily. "Clearly, someone was out to get me. It's my fault."

"No, it isn't!" Dawn insisted. "Ash, you might be childish and stupid a lot, but you're still the sweetest guy I know! You didn't do anything to deserve this. Even if you're being a dick right now."

Ash was surprised at what she called him. "What?" He asked, taken aback.

"I'm not mad, trust me!" Dawn said, realizing what she had said. She waved her arms in front of her defensively. "I know you're going through a lot...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you-"

"It's fine." Ash said, looking back down. "You're right. I am kind of being...a dick."

"Ash...it's not your fault. Whoever set those bombs off, that's whose fault it is. You should be mad at them. Not yourself." Dawn said, gently reaching over with one hand and rubbing his back as they walked.

"Trust me." He said through gritted teeth, with fists clenched. "I am."

Dawn flinched slightly at the small outburst, but continued to rub his back. Pikachu nervously hopped down, deciding now was a good time to walk alongside the two instead of on Ash's shoulder.

"I shouldn't have brought it up. Sorry." Dawn said, not wanting to make Ash any more angry than he already was.

Ash's fists unclenched and his voice softened a bit. "I know you're just trying to help. No need to worry."

Dawn stopped rubbing his back to jab him in the ribs again. "Hey, stop stealing my lines!"

"Well, you keep setting me up for them." Ash replied, giving her a weak grin. "But really...I appreciate that you care enough to have stuck around for so long. I'm sure there is other things you'd rather be doing than hang out with a dick."

Dawn frowned. "Come on Ash, it's like I said. You were always there for me. And I'm always here for you. No need to worry."

"I just used that line, lame." Ash replied, making Dawn smile once more.

_At least he's trying..._Dawn thought.

They walked along the path for a while longer, the silence between them much more comfortable after some playful banter. But something suddenly struck Dawn as odd. "Hey Ash...why did you want to hand-deliver these to Professor Oak? Why not just send them over at the Pokemon Center?"

Ash looked up to see some more sunlight peering out from between the trees: they were nearing Viridian City.

"I just wanted to talk to him about the things Lance had said. It just...felt more right to do this in person. And Lance told me to call Cynthia, but, frankly, I have no idea how to get a hold of her. I was hoping the professor might be able to help me out." He answered thoughtfully.

"I didn't even know Lance and Cynthia _knew_ each other. Let alone were working together about some sort of Plasma project." Dawn responded, putting her hands behind her head.

"Pika!" Pikachu said, suddenly stopping in front of the two, sniffing the ground cautiously.

"What's up, buddy?" Ash asked.

Pikachu held a tiny finger up to its mouth to indicate that both Ash and Dawn needed to be quiet. He snuck over to some bushes, and waved Ash and Dawn over to him. Crouching down, the two trainers went over to the bushes and began listening. Ash scowled as he recognized the voices.

"Here are the coordinates. We were instructed to bury this approximately one meter below the surface."

_Jessie._ Ash thought venomously.

"No problem. I'll have this done in just a minute."

_And James, of course._

"Hey Ash..." Dawn whispered, "What sort of crazy scheme do you think they're up to?"

She looked over though, and saw Ash was giving her a very hard, serious look. _She hasn't seem them since Sinnoh. She doesn't know that these clowns are serious now. I'll have to fill her in_ Ash realized.

Ash quickly just brought a finger to his lips. Dawn nodded and turned back to listen. James had apparently finished digging a hole.

"I wonder what da boss wants on dis flash drive. S'driving me crazy." They heard Meowth add.

"Not our business to know. Doctor Zager said someone would be picking it up to take to the boss. Make sure you seal that box up tight, James." Jesse replied.

"I wonder why we couldn't just deliver it to the boss ourselves?" James pondered aloud to his two companions.

"Well, he's taking action against Team Plasma. He probably is going into a secure location, all hush hush." Meowth replied.

"Good point. All set James?" Jesse asked.

"Indeed. Now, let's get out of here."

Hearing them approaching their way, Ash and Dawn quickly shuffled inside some bushes, making the trio stop.

"What was that?" Jesse hissed, scanning the area for anything odd.

"Probably just some Caterpie. Let's get out of here before we draw any attention." James replied.

So the trio took off in the opposite direction.

After making sure it was safe, Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu emerged from the bushes.

"Ash, what's going on? You normally don't get all freaked out by Team Rocket." Dawn asked.

Ash sighed and shook his head. "Things...have been different since I've been in Unova. I don't know what happened, but they took a serious step up in their evil level or something. They're a lot more dangerous now. They almost got away with Pikachu a few times, got a lot stronger, and they just seem to have a lot more resources at their disposal. They stopped being a joke."

Dawn frowned. "Oh...I'm sorry. I wish they would leave you alone. You don't deserve that."

Ash pulled down his hat and grunted. "I'm...used to it."

Dawn looked off to the side sadly. "Doesn't mean it should fall on you. You've had them on your back for way too long."

Ash walked over to the disturbed earth and began digging where Team Rocket had been.

"What are you doing?" Dawn asked.

"They said something about a Team Plasma. I want to find out what. Whatever they have, I'm taking it to Professor Oak." He said, darkly.

Dawn crouched down next to him and began digging away at the earth as well. Pikachu joined them.

"Oh...you think that's the Plasma Lance talked about?" Dawn questioned.

Ash shrugged between scoops of dirt. "Maybe. I'm not taking any chances with Team Rocket."

"Good thinking, especially from someone usually as dense as yourself." Dawn said, winking at Ash.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, hahaha."

Finally, they unearthed a small metal box. It was locked, of course, so they couldn't open it, but still, Ash was glad to have his hands on it.

Packing the box away, Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu continued down the path to Viridian City.

"So, Ash..." Dawn began, a new question brewing on her mind, "After you deliver this and talk to Cynthia...what do you think you're going to do?"

Ash looked away from her, but she could see his shoulders tense up and saw his frame quiver slightly. "I'm going to find whoever put my mom in a coma. And I'm going after them. I don't care if it's a team like Team Rocket or one person. They aren't getting away with this. Right, Pikachu?"

"Chu!" Pikachu growled angrily. He clearly shared Ash's sense of determination.

Dawn wasn't sure what to say. She didn't like seeing Ash angry like this, but she had to admit, his rage was surely justified. Yet, she was also worried...angry Ash normally led to reckless Ash, which could easily lead to hurt Ash. _Or worse._

"Please don't do anything stupid, Ash..." She pleaded softly.

"What, you don't think I should do anything?" He snapped angrily.

Dawn remained calm and shook her head. "No, I'm saying, when your mom wakes up, make sure you're alive to be there."

Ash stopped in his tracks. The statement had been like a slap across his face, deflating his rage. Dawn stepped forward and noticed he hadn't followed, so she turned back to face him.

He removed his hat and ran his hand through his hair again. He looked up at Dawn, and her heart broke slightly as she saw him crying gently.

_I haven't seen him cry at all since this happen. He must have been holding this all in._ She thought.

"Dawn, I just don't get it." Ash said through his tears. "My mom never did anything wrong. Why? Why would this happen? I need to know. I need to know why someone would do this, and to make sure they never do this again. What if she died? What if any of my friends died? What if YOU died? I don't want anyone to die for me. I have to do something about it."

Dawn wrapped her arms around the boy. "And what if you died, Ash? You've been a pillar of strength for all of us. You mean the world to your mom, to your friends...to me. We'd all be lost if you died...and I know you're going to go after them. I just want to make sure you come back to us. To me."

Ash hugged her back, and they stayed that way for awhile. Pikachu leaped up onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzled Ash's cheek in a comforting way.

"I will." Ash said, after awhile. "Come on. We need to get to Pallet Town."

"Good. Then you can find out who did this. And take them down." Dawn said encouragingly.

So the two walked straight through Viridian City, and began down the beaten path to Pallet Town. They saw Professor Oak's laboratory looming in on the horizon, Ash grew more and more anxious.

"Pi?" Pikachu asked, noticing Ash's growing tension.

"Ash, you doing okay? You look nervous." Dawn questioned.

"Just antsy. I have no idea what I'm going to be up against." Ash replied, absentmindedly petting Pikachu, who was once again hitching a ride on his shoulder.

Finally, they reached the front door to Oak's lab. Buzzing themselves in, they entered the large building, and Ash called out for the professor.

As they walked down the halls, they began hearing a few voices.

"This is urgent Professor. Please, direct me to Mr. Ketchum." A feminine voice said, sounding vaguely familiar.

"...can't believe you're doing this." Came a gruff, male voice.

"Look, I don't care what your title is, I'm not comfortable just directing you to Ash." Came Professor Oak's voice.

As Ash and Dawn rounded the corner, they were shocked to see the source of the conversation.

Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion, and Alder, the Unova Champion, were talking to Professor Oak over a large meeting table.

"Well, looks like he came to us, anyways." Alder sighed, pointing towards Ash and Dawn.

Cynthia and Oak glanced over towards the trainer. Oak frowned, but Cynthia remained expressionless.

There was a long silence. Finally, Dawn spoke up, asking the obvious, "So...why are you guys here looking for Ash?"

Cynthia glanced to the side uneasily. "Hello Ash. Hello Dawn. I'm sorry this reunion isn't under better circumstances."

Unfazed, Ash simply stated. "Lance told me to call you."

Cynthia nodded. "Yes...you see, we Champions are facing a bit of a crisis. And we want to make sure you didn't get hurt."

Ash gritted his teeth. "And why would I be getting hurt? Who's after me?"

Alder groaned and looked to the side. "I hate to say it Ash...but you're a high priority on the hit list of Team Plasma."

Ash and Dawn looked to each other quickly. Instinctively, Dawn reached over and grabbed Ash's hand in support.

"What...what do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"We should explain...Professor?" Cynthia stated, turning to Professor Oak.

Professor Oak turned in his chair and faced the trainers. "Well...sit down you two, this will be a long story."

Ash and Dawn did as they were told, listening intently.

"Well," Oak began, "A little before last week's incident, Cynthia and Alder here contacted me. They had been notified of a demand from an organization called Team Plasma. They were sending an official demand that all Pokemon in the world be released from their trainers into the wild, under the belief that Pokemon battling and training was abusive."

Ash and Pikachu looked at each other in disbelief. Pikachu reassured his trainer by nuzzling his neck. "Pika pi..." Pikachu said affectionately.

"Of course, the Champions all concurred how ridiculous this was...until they saw what Team Plasma was doing to back itself up." Oak stated.

Alder nodded and continued, "This is where it gets tricky. We received video of what appears to be Plasma's leader, Ghetsis, using a Hydreigon to..."

Alder couldn't seem to finish, so Cynthia continued. "...murder Tobias, the winner of the Sinnoh League."

"WHAT?" Ash exclaimed. "The guy who had a Darkrai and a Latios?"

Cynthia nodded. "He was due to challenge the Sinnoh Elite Four this week. The video was showing that anyone who resisted the changes would be killed. Their threat was that for every week that Pokemon weren't released into the wild, a high ranking, high profile trainer or coordinator will die."

Professor Oak looked down at the table. "They're being smart about it. They're picking high profile trainers, but leaving League Officials alone for now, because they know the public will eventually demand the League to stop them."

Dawn's mouth hung open in disbelief. She had never heard something so cruel in her whole life. _Those monster_s...

"Unfortunately, they're very secretive. The general public doesn't know about Team Plasma. They've been able to play some of the attacks off on Team Rocket, since they're much more publicly known. We've been reluctant to release the information publicly as well, as we want to avoid causing mass panic." Cynthia explained.

Ash swallowed...it was a lot to take in. "So what...what does this have to do with what happened at the gym?"

Alder sighed sadly, looking up at Ash from across the table. "Ash, your exploits are well known. We did research on you, and it's well-known all the things you've done: Stood toe to toe with countless legendary Pokemon, had a hang in dismantling Team Galactic, taking on a Darkrai and a Latios with a Pikachu...not only are you high profile, but like Tobias, they consider you strong enough to be a threat."

_I can't ever seem to accomplish anything, and I'm somehow a threat to these guys? Wonderful_. _I'm a failure with a target on my chest. _Ash thought bitterly.

"So they destroyed the Pewter Gym just to try and kill Ash? That's so awful!" Dawn yelled.

Cynthia nodded. "Which brings us to why we're here in Kanto."

Oak shook his head. "I don't like this."

Alder shrugged. "Me either. I don't like getting kids involved. But she's the brains of this operation."

"Hey, we're right here, you know. Tell me what's going on!" Ash demanded, feeling a little left out about whatever they were arguing over.

Cynthia cleared her throat. "Ash, Lance was originally sent here to get you to safety. But I know what they did to your mother. We're a man down, and I know you aren't going to take this lying down. You've shown a lot of potential in the past, and quite frankly, we could use it. Team Plasma knows we're after them. But they don't know we're recruiting."

"What are you saying?" Asked Dawn, shocked.

"Ash, we want you to join us. Help us fight Team Plasma. Prove them right, that you're a threat." Cynthia stated.

Ash gritted his teeth and pulled his hat backwards in a determined way. "They put my mom in the hospital. I knew _that night_ I was going after them. You're damn right I'm joining you. You just gave me an excuse to take action."

Cynthia smiled, but Alder looked less than pleased. "You aren't running off on your own kid. We're in charge here. And like hell I'm letting a kid get hurt in our battle. Do what you're told, and don't go against orders."

Ash grimaced, but bit his tongue. "I...understand, sir."

"Ash, are you sure about this?" Oak asked, "This isn't going to be like taking the gym badge challenge. These are dangerous criminals. They're going to sick their Pokemon on you, not just engage you in battle."

Ash looked at Pikachu. Pikachu gave his trainer a look that stated he was just as in this as Ash was. "Well, that's fine. I'll just have to fight fire with fire, won't I?"

"That's the plan." Cynthia replied. "You'll stay here tonight. You, Alder, and I will leave tomorrow. You'll need to assemble a team with all your best Pokemon-"

"I'm going too." Dawn blurted out abruptly.

"Huh?" Ash asked, taken aback.

"Dawn, no!" Professor Oak exclaimed.

"Absolutely not!" Alder shouted, "I'm not risking children getting hurt! This isn't a game-"

"Hold, Alder." Cynthia cut him off. "I can vouch for the girl. She's been through rough scrapes before. Need I remind you she was there when Team Galactic fell."

Cynthia turned to them. "This decision is between you and Ash. If you two can come to an agreement by the time we leave tomorrow, you can come with us. We need as much firepower as possible."

"Cynthia, you can't be serious!" Alder exclaimed, "These are children! You want to bring children into this war?"

"Or what, Alder?" Cynthia yelled, losing her cool. "Have them die at the hands of Team Plasma? What do you think is going to happen if only they have their Pokemon? Do you think anyone has a shot against these maniacs if we're all left defenseless? If two kids can face the reality warping powers of Dialga and Palkia and come out unscathed, I want them on my side, damn it!"

Alder said nothing, just looked to the ground, defeated.

Professor Oak remained speechless as well.

Cynthia cleared her throat and regained her composure. "You two should go talk about this. Go out to the yard and assemble a team. Meet us here tomorrow at noon for our briefing."

They were about to leave, when Ash pulled the box he dug up earlier from his backpack. He handed it to Cynthia, and explained, "In Viridian Forest, Team Rocket buried this. They said their boss needed it to take action against Team Plasma. Said it was a flash drive. We can't get the box open, but...it sounds like you would know what do with it."

Cynthia grabbed the box and grinned to Alder. "See? Kid's already pulling his own weight."

Alder just rolled his eyes.

And then Ash pulled out Lance's Pokemon belt, and handed it to Professor Oak.

"Lance...he said he wanted you to have this." Ash said, sadly recalling the day the Champion perished.

Professor Oak nodded, but said nothing.

Ash and Dawn left the meeting room, and Ash led Dawn down the hall towards the Pokemon yard. Dawn realized they had never stopped holding hands throughout the meeting. When they got to the yard, Ash sent Pikachu out into the yard. "Pikachu, round everyone up for me, will you? I'll be out in a second."

Pikachu nodded, replied with a quick "Cha," and headed through the door.

As Pikachu left, Ash turned to Dawn and looked her in the eyes.

"We're either going to spend the whole time fighting about why you should or shouldn't go, or you can just tell me right now why it really is you want to come." Ash said, plainly.

Dawn smiled sadly. "You know me pretty well, huh? This is the type of thing we normally fight about."

Ash continued to hold his gaze on her ocean-blue eyes. "Dawn, if something happens to you, I won't forgive myself."

Dawn gazed back. "...why do you think I want to go? I feel that way about you."

Ash's cheeks became stained with pink. "So we both just want to keep each other safe, huh?"

"I guess so." Dawn said, smiling a little more at the boy. "Let me go with you. We'll protect each other."

"Gee, you make it sound so simple when you put it that way." Ash replied dryly.

"Cut it out. You heard Cynthia. I was with you every time we fought Team Rocket, and every time we fought Team Galactic. You know how much I've improved since you and Brock trained me. And I only got better when I traveled in Hoenn." Came Dawn's retort.

Ash sighed. "Alright...only because Cynthia doesn't seem to be bothered with you coming though. Just...just don't get hurt. Please?"

Dawn smirked. "Only if you don't. No need to worry, Ash."

"That's-"

"When you worry most?" Dawn asked, cutting him off. "I know. And I appreciate it."

Ash smiled. "Right. Look, you may want to talk to your Pokemon about what's coming up then. I'll...need to do the same."

Dawn nodded, and Ash took off out the door to the yard.

Dawn called out all six of her Pokemon, before realizing it was rather crowded in the hall now (though mostly due to her Mamoswine). The Pokemon all looked around confused before turning their attention to their trainer, expectantly.

"Hey guys...we're going on a bit of a different type of trip..."

* * *

><p>Outside, Ash stood in front of all his Pokemon.<p>

"...and that's what we're up against. We're going to be fighting both Pokemon...and people. Together. If I tell you to attack a person, you have to trust me that I'm only doing it because it's what we have to do. It's gonna be different. If any of you...don't want to be part of this, I understand." Ash finished.

All of Ash's various Pokemon looked around at each other, from Bulbasaur, the smallest, to his Snorlax. After a very brief, unspoken understand, they all nodded to Ash, and gave him an encouraging smile. They were all in it for him. Pikachu gave Ash a thumbs up to signify that they were all ready to fight for him.

Ash couldn't help but be amazed at the loyalty of all the companions he had over the years. "You guys are the best friends I could ask for. All of you. Now, I gave this a lot of thought, as to who's coming with me. Pikachu, you've been with me since the beginning, so I'm sure you know I want you with me on this one."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu squeaked eagerly, running up to Ash and hopping on his shoulder.

Ash grinned at his companion. "Right. Now, I want you all to know, I love all of you, and just because I haven't picked you now, doesn't mean I won't pick you later, and not because I think any less of you. So..."

* * *

><p>That night, Dawn lie awake in one of Professor Oak's spare bedrooms. Piplup sat next to her on the bed, mimicking how his trainer was laying: arms (or in his case, flippers), folded behind their heads, staring up at the ceiling.<p>

"I'm glad all of you are with me on this. It's a little scary, isn't it?" Dawn asked the penguin without looking away from the ceiling.

"Pip! Piplup!" Piplup replied, trying to sound brave. But Dawn knew it was nervous too.

"You can't lie to me. I can tell you're scared too. But we aren't going to be alone. Come on, we need to get to sleep...who knows where we'll be tomorrow night." Dawn said, rolling onto her side and allowing fatigue to overtake her.

* * *

><p>A few rooms down the hall, Ash was lying in a very similar position, with Pikachu next to him.<p>

"Are you ready for this, buddy? We're taking on the guys who put mom in the hospital." Ash said, looking to the electric mouse next to him.

"Pi! Cha, Pika!" Pikachu replied, confident and tired all at the same time. It then yawned obnoxiously, causing Ash to yawn as well.

"Yeah, it's been a long day. Hey, you heard Alder and Cynthia...I know I get a little ahead of myself sometimes. You know, once in a great awhile." Ash said.

Pikachu raised an eyebrow at Ash expectantly. Ash rolled his eyes. "Okay, more than once in awhile. My point is, just make sure I stay in line. I don't want to get in their way, is all."

Pikachu nodded, replied with "Chaaa," and curled up into a ball, indicating it was ready to fall asleep. Ash smiled and rolled over himself. "Good night buddy."

"Pi..."

* * *

><p>The next morning, neither Ash or Dawn overslept (a rarity for them). They had both, under Professor Oak's instructions, set their alarm clocks fairly early so they had time to get themselves prepped for the briefing at noon.<p>

After getting dressed, they met with Professor Oak in his kitchen to get something to eat, and found the professor waiting for them.

"So, did you two come to a decision?" Oak asked.

Ash and Dawn looked at each other and nodded. "I'm going." Dawn stated with fists clenched.

The professor looked torn. "I figured. I'm glad you two will be looking out for each other, but I do have to agree with Alder a bit...I don't like the idea of sending two kids into something life-threatening. Then again, Ash, you've shown me many times you're no normal child. By the way Dawn, you may want to call your mother and let her know you're going on a journey."

Dawn blinked. "I...had totally forgotten. Should I tell her...?"

Oak shook his head. "Just say you're traveling with Ash. Team Plasma is classified League information at the time, and you must not let anyone know. Even if it means lying to your mom. Besides, I doubt you want her worrying this whole time, do you."

She nodded slowly, feeling a bit sad about having to lie to her mom about something so big. "You're right...I'll go call her now..."

Oak pointed her down the hall to his video phone, and turned to Ash and Pikachu when she had left.

"And how do you feel about her going Ash?" Oak asked, his tone a bit more serious.

Ash looked down at Pikachu, who returned his gaze, and shrugged at his trainer, looking curious himself. _Oh right, Pikachu wasn't there when we talked._ Ash realized.

"I don't want her to go because I don't want her to get hurt. She wants to go because she doesn't want me to get hurt, so we're kind of feeling the same thing. I agreed to let her go because Cynthia seems to be okay with it, and I know she's worried about me." Ash replied, shifting side to side uncomfortably.

Oak gave him a stern look. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Ash nodded. "I trust Cynthia. And I don't think Dawn would've taken no for an answer anyway."

Professor Oak sighed, but gave a small smile. "So she's just as stubborn as you?"

Ash looked to the side. "...shut up."

Professor Oak chuckled, but regained a stern look. "Ash, I know you're angry at these people. But you need to use your head and follow the orders of the champions, and not let your emotions get the best of you."

Ash nodded once more. "I know, Professor Oak, I know."

"Pika, pi!" Pikachu added, making the professor chuckle.

"Oh, I know you'll look after him, Pikachu." Oak replied.

* * *

><p>After Dawn joined them once more for a quick breakfast, the three went over to the meeting room, where Cynthia and Alder had just arrived. Alder was taking a seat, but Cynthia stood at the head of the table.<p>

"I see Dawn will be joining us on the journey. I figured as much. Have a seat, all of you, please." Cynthia said, calm as usual.

They did as such, and Alder looked over to her. "You seem to have made yourself the leader in all this, so fire away."

Cynthia rolled her eyes quickly. "Of course. This is, so far, what we know about Team Plasma:"

"Team Plasma is an organization of criminals, whose main known goal is for all trainers, Coordinators, and any unspecified Pokemon ower to release all their companions into the wild. They are led by a man who names himself Ghetsis, as the head of Team Plasma's Seven Sages. The Sages, as my sources, such as Looker, have gathered, act as commanding officers for various Team Plasma underlings."

"Since we became aware of their presence, we managed to detain a few low-level thugs in Team Plasma. Unsurprisingly, they do not know any details of Team Plasma's goals outside of releasing Pokemon. Currently, in the Unova region, some thugs have been stealing trainer Pokemon, in a similar manner to Team Rocket and Team Galactic."

"However, suspicious activity tied to Unovian myths seems to be falling under Team Plasma's radar. Places like the Dream Yard, Great Chasm, and the Dragonspiral Tower have all been invaded by what we believe to be Team Plasma forces, based on evidence recovered from locations. All of these locations have been tied to Unova's top legendary Pokemon: Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem."

"Wait," Ash said, interrupting the Sinnoh Champion, "I battled a trainer named N that had Reshiram..."

Alder nodded. "Shortly after the league, N went completely off the radar, around the same time Tobias did. We have reason to believe that, especially consider he owns a target Pokemon and was another tournament winner, N was taken captive by Team Plasma."

"Exactly." Cynthia continued, "Now, as I was saying..."

"Up until last night, this was the extent of the information we currently had about Team Plasma. But it looks like our friends in Team Rocket had some interesting news for us." She stated, winking at Ash, causing him to blush.

"I was able to get past a few odd security measures Team Rocket had placed on the flash drive, with the help of Professor Oak. Team Rocket's most well known goal is much different than Team Plasma: Team Rocket wants to steal and capture Pokemon for power, seemingly for financial or political gain. Essentially, they want to use Pokemon to rule the world. Obviously, this conflicts with Team Plasma's goals."

"From documents found on the flash drive, it details Team Rockets plans at taking on Plasma. Like Team Plasma, Team Rocket wants to capture legendary Pokemon to achieve their goal, and is looking to overthrow Team Plasma, possibly absorbing their resources for their own use."

"So, is...Team Rocket on our side?" Ash asked, confused.

Alder shook his head. "Not by a longshot. Ultimately, if both Team Plasma and Team Rocket want to rule the world, or whatever, it's us versus Team Plasma versus Team Rocket. Everyone for themselves, really."

"Can't we just let them take each other down and fight whoever is left?" Dawn asked.

Cynthia shook her head this time. "Unfortunately, that is too risky a maneuver. Let say that Team Plasma and Team Rocket each manage to obtain a number of legendary or powerful Pokemon or weaponry. Whoever wins that battle then obtains the losers resources, leaving us potentially outgunned. It's better we take this down before the threat grows too large."

"Oh...yeah, I hadn't thought of that." Dawn replied.

"With Reshiram's location known, and presumably, in Team Plasma's hands if they have captured N, Team Rocket's plans described a plot at cutting off at Nacrene City later this week. For what, exactly is unknown, but it was made clear Team Plasma will be after something in that area. This will be our first destination. Any questions?"

Ash and Dawn glanced at each other, and then to Pikachu. Pikachu and Dawn shook their heads, but Ash raised his hand.

"I need to stop Johto first." He stated.

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"To finish my team." Ash answered.

"We don't have time to go catching wild Pokemon, kid." Alder said, slightly frustrated.

Ash shook his head, and put four additional Pokeballs next to Pikachu, signifying he had one more slot to fill. "No. I'm not doing this without Charizard."

"Ah, yes!" Professor Oak stated, rubbing his chin, "your Charizard is training at the Charicific Valley with Liza, isn't it?"

Ash nodded. "Charizard is one of my most powerful and trusted companions. I want him with me."

"Sorry for my outburst then, I wasn't aware." Alder apologized. "Sounds like a good idea."

"No problem. We have time. We leave in an hour." Cynthia replied, smiling. "I'm glad you put the thought into this Ash. Go get your last minute preparations set."

As Ash and Dawn walked off, Dawn turned to Ash and asked, "You have a Charizard?"

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter 2. <strong>


	3. Heist

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 3: Heist**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

* * *

><p>Dawn often liked to watch the way Ash interacted with his Pokemon. She had noted more than a few times in Sinnoh, sometimes to others and sometimes to herself, the incredible bond Ash always seemed to have with any Pokemon that ever traveled with him. Despite all his flaws, (of which she had to admit there were a lot, despite her feelings for him), he somehow commanded respect and admiration in all his Pokemon. It was one of the things that drew her to him.<p>

Even now, when they were traveling halfway around the world in a scheme that could kill them, Ash was taking the time to talk to Charizard, make sure it was comfortable with everything, and asked it to come. Dawn, Alder, and Cynthia were watching Ash from the distance, deciding Ash might want the reunion to be private.

"I've never really seen anyone connect with his Pokemon like Ash does." Cynthia said aloud. "And I've seen a lot of challengers come by me. I've seen plenty that love and care about their Pokemon, but not on a level like this. It's something different altogether."

"Ash is incredible." Dawn found herself answering, as if automatically. It was something she was sure of for a long time, after all.

"I'll give you that, he does appear to be very close with all of them. Completely blows a hole in Team Plasma's 'capturing Pokemon is abusive' garbage." Alder grunted.

The group couldn't help but snicker as suddenly, Charizard tackled Ash to the ground and began licking his face. They heard Ash laughing and cry out, "Haha, I'll take that as a yes!"

Charizard relented his show of affection, and Ash hopped back up to his feet. "Alright buddy, return." Ash recalled Charizard to its Pokeball. He thanked Liza for all the great work she had done with him, and promised to return him after the journey he was embarking on.

"What sort of journey is it, exactly?" Liza asked.

"Er..." Ash stuttered. _A secret one? How do I answer this?_

"Ash will be accompanying Alder and myself to investigate Team Rocket related incidents." Cynthia stated casually, sensing Ash's hesitation.

"Oh wow, official business, eh Ash? Well, good luck!" Liza replied excitedly.

As the two walked back to Dawn and Alder, Ash whispered a quick, "Thanks," to the older champion.

"Well, it's not a total lie, is it?" Cynthia answered, smirking, "After all, they're involved too. From now on, let's make that our 'go to answer,' shall we?"

Ash nodded. "Right. Good idea."

"Well, she is the self-appointed brains of the operation." Alder snarked.

Dawn giggled slightly. "You two act like an old married couple."

Alder rolled his eyes, while Cynthia just laughed. "Working with someone long enough can do that." She explained. "Anyways, let's get going."

Walking to the entrance of the valley, there were four Pidgeots there, which, according to Alder, belonged to the League and were provided to them for transportation. Ash had asked why they couldn't just take a plane, but Cynthia had explained that they need to be completely off the radar for this mission.

The downside is that traveling to Unova by Pokemon was a much slower method of travel, and it would take a few days to get there. They would need to stop and let the Pokemon rest at night in a few locations, and they were staying at designated "safe houses" the league had arranged for.

As the four mounted their Pidgeots (Pikachu sitting snugly in front of Ash), Dawn curiously asked Cynthia, "So, where are we stopping first?"

Using a compass to get her bearings, she pointed off northwest. "We'll need to go to the Hoenn region for our first location. There is a small cabin near Slateport City that is off limits to anyone other than League officials. It will be our first location. We should get there by sundown."

Ash and Dawn glanced at each other a little nervously. They had never ridden a flying Pokemon across an entire ocean, albeit for hours at a time. Seeing their nervous exchange, Alder reassured them, "Relax, these Pidgeot's are trained for this."

Pikachu tapped Pidgeot on the head and asked, "Pika pi chu pika?" It sounded concerned.

Pidgeot looked over at the smaller electric type. "Pi. Pidgeot."

Pikachu turned around and gave Ash a thumbs up.

Ash shrugged and turned to Dawn. "I guess Pikachu approves. He would know Pokemon better than us."

As they took off into the sky. Ash looked over to Cynthia and yelled over, "So does the League have these safe houses everywhere?"

Cynthia nodded. "Indeed. We have at least a few in every region, and we make sure they're hidden quite well from the general public."

"So you guys use them for secret missions and stuff a lot?" Dawn asked as well, raising her voice over the wind.

"Well...I mean, sometimes. We also use them for...vacations mostly." Cynthia said, glancing to the side, slightly embarrassed.

Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu sweatdropped. Alder looked back and yelled, "What, we can't want to get away from it all sometimes? This is a damn stressful job! Vacation time is very important."

Ash and Dawn exchanged glances and chuckled.

"All that aside," Cynthia said, quickly changing the subject, "we're meeting Wallace, the Hoenn Champion, at this first safehouse."

It had just struck Ash that Wallace had been the only champion who so far hadn't been involved in any of this. "Is Wallace going to be coming with us to Unova?" He asked.

Alder shook his head. "Nah, Wallace is acting as mission control. He's going to have his handful making sure things in the other regions Leagues are running smoothly and doing some recon work on Team Plasma while we're out in the field. We all agreed that if one of us had to stay behind just in case, it should be him."

"Also, Professor Oak will be doing research on Team Rocket, since they're native to Kanto, while Professor Juniper assists Wallace in Team Plasma research." Cynthia added, "That's one of the reasons we had been visiting Oak in the first place, besides finding you."

"I never realized there was so much to being the Champion!" Ash said, shocked at how smoothly the two Champions plans were coming together.

Cynthia nodded and gave Ash a quick grin. "There's a lot more to being a Pokemon Champ than just winning battles, Ash."

_That's...that's what Dawn had said to me in the park..._Ash remembered.

Ash looked over to see Dawn giving him an "I-told-you-so" look. She followed it up with a quick wink, causing Ash to blush and roll his eyes. Pikachu noticed this and gave Ash a sly look.

"Quiet, you." Ash whispered to Pikachu playfully. Pikachu knew damn well how Ash felt about Dawn, and liked to tease Ash about it, just like Ash enjoyed teasing Pikachu about Buneary. Pikachu's response was to stick his tongue out at Ash.

* * *

><p>After a few hours and cramped muscles, they landed.<p>

_Talk about secretive..._ Ash couldn't help but think. They arrived at a small cabin that was deep in a forest. _No one must live around here for miles._

Cynthia returned the Pidgeot to some oddly colored Pokeballs (stating they were as such so that they didn't officially count as her on-hand team), and knocked at the door, Alder, Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu behind her.

"What's the password?" Came a familiar voice behind the door. All of them knew immediately it was Wallace, even though he was trying to disguise his voice.

"Wallace, shut up and open the door." Alder grunted.

"That's yesterday's password." Wallace responded.

Before Alder could respond again, Wallace opened the door and quickly added, "Joking. Come on in."

As the group walked in, Wallace was very surprised to see Dawn with them. "Dawn, what on earth are you doing here? I was told it would just be Ash accompanying the champions. This is a dangerous mission!"

Dawn sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "I was there when they told Ash about all this stuff and...I just felt I had to come with him."

"You know how young lovers are, Wallace." Cynthia said casually while walking past them.

"W-what?" Ash and Dawn both blurted out at the same time, blushing profusely. Pikachu snickered at the reaction from atop Ash's shoulder, prompting Ash glare at him. Pikachu stuck his tongue out at the trainer.

Cynthia laughed heartily at the response. "Just teasing, you two."

Alder facepalmed and sighed. "Serious mission with the world at stake, and you're teasing children about romance? Are you serious right now? Really?"

Cynthia rolled her eyes, "Let me have my fun, Alder. You know I'm serious out on the field."

Wallace just chuckled and shook his head, while Ash and Dawn tried to look a little less embarrassed.

"Alright, alright. Now, let me brief everyone over my recent discoveries regarding the upcoming Plasma involvement at Nacrene City." Wallace said, clearing his throat.

The five trainers and Pikachu all took a seat at a round dinner table in the dining room of the cabin (Pikachu, of course, just sitting in front of Ash on the table).

"Now," Wallace said, looking over some papers, "you're all aware that Team Plasma is going to launch a plan somewhere in Nacrene City. Cross referencing their goals regarding legendary Pokemon, we determined the most likely scenario is that they're going to look to steal an artifact from Nacrene's Gym that could relate to legendary dragon Zekrom. As you may know, Nacrene's Gym also serves as the biggest museum in the whole of the Unova region."

Ash remembered his trip to the Nacrene Gym – and with everything that had gone on, up to and including his two gym battles, he realized, he had no idea where any of the exhibits had been. _Guess I should've paid attention,_ he thought.

"Any ideas what they could be after?" Alder asked with folded arms.

Wallace frowned. "Unfortunately not. The highest priority is going to be the area with Pokemon fossils, but this all we have to go on. And for a bit of bad news, we originally thought the attack was going to be happening in three days. However, latest intelligence has shown that the even will likely take place the day after tomorrow."

"What?" Cynthia exclaimed.

"Why the change?" Alder demanded.

Wallace shrugged. "That's just the plans we have on intercepted waves. Perhaps they caught wind of Team Rocket and are trying to throw them off guard. Regardless, if you leave early enough tomorrow, you should be able arrive in the safe location established near Nacrene by nightfall. It will just be a long journey, so I would stretch out your limbs now, ladies and gentleman."

Abruptly, Ash's stomach rumbled obnoxiously, causing the young man to blush, as everyone else turned to look at him.

"...I haven't eaten since breakfast." He said sheepishly. Everyone else sweatdropped.

"More of that, and this location won't be secret anymore." Alder said while chuckling.

"I suppose we should eat soon, we'll need our strength." Cynthia reasoned.

Ash, Dawn, Alder, Cynthia, and Pikachu all stared at each other briefly before it dawned on them.

"Do...do any of us know how to cook?" Dawn asked, skeptically.

"Dawn, I thought you were a good cook?" Ash asked, bewildered.

She shook her head. "Just Poffins. And we all know everything you make is lethal."

Pikachu snickered. Ash just shrugged and answered, "I never bothered to learn," with an embarrassed grin on his face.

"My diet consists of TV dinners and take out." Cynthia said, looking off to the side. Everyone stared at her in surprise, not really expecting that answer from the incredibly fit woman. "What? I don't really have time to cook."

Alder sighed, defeated, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "...I can cook."

Wallace laughed. "Then why take so long to speak up?"

"...it's not my most manly hobby." Alder grumbled.

Dawn and Ash looked at each other and sweatdropped. They turned to see Cynthia and Wallace with the same expression.

"Brock can cook. And Ash, didn't you say Cilan could cook too?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah...but...I guess I wouldn't consider them manly. But Brock would kill me if he heard me say that." Ash replied, smirking a bit.

Cynthia rolled her eyes. "Well, while Macho Man Alder here makes us something," everyone at the table stifled a bit of laughter at this (except Alder, of course), "I'm going for a run with my Pokemon. You two may want to do some training as well. Don't over do it, you'll need your strength for tomorrow. Try basic exercises, but don't battle each other, we don't want to risk injury."

"Have them cut some logs, we'll need firewood." Wallace suggested, only half-jokingly.

Ash turned to Dawn. "You heard her, you want to go outside? I'll show you the team I put together."

"Sure, that sounds great!" She replied, eager to see what other sort of Pokemon Ash had.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Dawn stood, mouth agape, at the team Ash had put together.<p>

Of course, she was already aware of Pikachu and, as she put in her mind, _a freaking Charizard,_ but the rest of Ash's team was quite formidable as well.

Ash had first introduced Sceptile, the fully-evolved Grass type starter from the Hoenn region. Sceptile had decided to show off its speed a bit, darting in and out of some trees before jumping out and landing behind them. Which caused Dawn to jump and clutch Ash's arm, something he teased her about.

He then showed her the Palpitoad he had caught in the Unova region. It was both a Water and a Ground type, so it's only real weakness was to Grass types, and according to Ash, it was a pretty strong.

"I've never seen something both ugly and cute at the same time." She whispered in Ash's ear, making him stifle some laughter.

He then called out his Staraptor, which he explained was a perfect combination of speed and power.

He had rounded out his team with another Unovian Pokemon, known as Krokorok. Dawn couldn't help but giggle at the Pokemon's sunglasses. She learned from Ash it was a Dark and Ground type Pokemon that had followed Ash around half of Unova to battle Pikachu.

"So it's just as stubborn as you?" She asked teasingly.

"Funny, Professor Oak said the same thing about _you_ when you were calling your mom." Ash replied, grinning.

"Well, that wasn't very gentlemanly of you, talking about me behind my back, was it?" Dawn retorted, feigning shock.

"Well excuuuuuuuse me, princess!" Ash said in a playful tone, causing Dawn to laugh. Their Pokemon chuckled as well at the two, save for Pikachu and Piplup, who rolled their eyes and exchanged glances knowingly.

Ash and Dawn then went to work, commanding their Pokemon in various training exercises that would help them with their moves: Piplup would blast bubbles into the air, and Staraptor would try to destroy as many as possible with Aerial Ace. Krokork and Mamoswine were having some sort of underground race using Dig. Throughout the next few hours, Ash and Dawn ran back and forth between their Pokemon, giving encouraging words and advice.

At Wallace's request, Sceptile was slicing up logs with Leaf Blade, trying to hone the attacks power, resulting in a cleaner cut each time. Testing its strength for its signature Seismic Toss, Charizard carried as many logs as possible from where Sceptile was working to the side of cabin, trying to take a few more each time.

A few times, Dawn would have to snap at Buneary to focus on practicing her Ice Beam attack, as she would lose focus and admire Pikachu (who was practicing Iron Tail on a large rock). Of course, this was all the more embarrassing when Buneary decided to freeze Dawn's lower half when _she _had stopped and stared at Ash running back and forth.

"A-A-AAAAAAAH! B-Buneary, n-n-n-not c-cool!" She chattered.

Ash immediately looked over and chuckled a bit. "No, more like freezing, am I right? Hey Charizard, go help Dawn out for a second, would you?"

Charizard flew over and held its tail close to the block of ice encasing Dawn's legs. They quickly thawed. Dawn immediately ganged up on Buneary.

"What was that all about?" Dawn asked angrily.

Buneary folded its arms, giggling, and pointed from Dawn, to Ash, and back to Dawn. Ash gave Charizard a confused look, prompting the dragon to shrug and return to training.

"What, did I do something wrong?" Ash asked.

Dawn sighed with relief, _Good, he didn't notice me staring._ "No, of course not." She paused before adding, "Other than that really lame 'freezing' pun."

It was about that time that Wallace walked out from the cabin, and yelled (loudly enough so that Alder would hear), "The Manly King of Masculinity, Alder, has prepared dinner for all!"

Ash and Dawn recalled their Pokemon (except Pikachu of course) and headed inside. They would feed their companions after dinner, outside, where there was much more room to do as such.

They jumped in shock as they saw Cynthia already inside, helping Wallace and Alder set the table.

"What...when did you get back?" Dawn asked incredulously.

Cynthia just grinned, and said, "Around the time you were put on ice, Dawn. Being discrete is going to a huge part of my role in this mission. I made sure you wouldn't notice me."

Alder had made some sort of stew. It looked a little odd, at first, but it smelled amazing. He poured some in a bowl for each person and took a seat, looking at everyone expectantly.

Ash looked at Pikachu and shrugged, and the two took a big spoonful. Everyone watched Ash, eager to see if Alder lived up to his word.

After Ash gulped it down, he looked up with wide eyes.

"Oh...my...Arceus..." Ash whispered.

Everyone leaned in, expectantly.

"This...IS...AWESOME!" Ash yelled happily, picking up his bowl and slurping down the rest, and scooping some more out of the pot in the middle of the table.

"Yes!" Alder yelled, pumping his fist in the air, "I told you I could cook. You were all fools to doubt me!"

He quickly sweatdropped when he saw everyone else was slurping down his stew as well. He shrugged and joined them.

Not long afterwards, everyone had finished, slumping backwards in their chairs.

"I think we know who the designated cook is." Dawn said, satisfied.

"It's like Brock and Cilan combined their cooking powers into one amazing stew." Ash added in a daze.

"Thanks. Now all of you can clean up. It's my turn to go for a walk with my Pokemon." Alder replied smugly before getting up and taking off out the door before anyone could object.

Wallace laughed at the display. "Hard to believe he's the oldest of us."

Cynthia rolled her eyes. "Some people just don't grow up. I'll handle it; you two go feed your Pokemon, and just prepare yourselves. Maybe take a walk yourselves, we'll be on the Pidgeots for a long time tomorrow."

Ash and Dawn got up from the table, and Pikachu hopped up onto his perch (meaning Ash's shoulder).

"Thank you Cynthia." Dawn said politely, shooting a pointed glance towards Ash.

For once, Ash managed to catch the hint. "Yeah, thanks!"

Cynthia just smiled and waved them out.

"Want some help?" Wallace offered.

Cynthia just shook her head. "Nah, this is nothing. Your time is better spent doing any last minute recon. Thanks though."

Ash and Dawn spent some time feeding their Pokemon teams with food that had been provided by Wallace. Luckily, there was an abundance on hand, as Mamoswine and Charizard were rather large Pokemon. Wallace had stated he would send message to League Officials to make sure there was plenty of food at the next safe house just to be safe.

Once all their team had been nourished, the two trainers decided to take Cynthia's advice and take a walk. However, Pikachu yawned heavily and was beginning to nod off on Ash's shoulder. So before going too far, Ash had gone back inside and dropped Pikachu off on the couch to sleep.

There was a small path in the woods that Dawn and Ash had decided to follow.

"You have so many cool Pokemon, Ash,." Dawn said as they stepped over a log.

"Thanks. They've all gotten me through some tough times, that's for sure. And besides, your Pokemon are pretty cool too." He replied.

Dawn smiled. "Well thanks. Mamoswine's been listening to me better, which is good."

Ash laughed. "You know, my Charizard was like that. The second he evolved into a Charmeleon, he would never listen to me. He would just lie around, and if I tried to get it do anything, he would use Flamethrower. On my face."

Dawn giggled. "Well, he sure does love you now. All your Pokemon do."

Ash looked her and blushed a bit. "I guess I never really thought about it. Sometimes I get caught up in how much I've let them down sometimes."

Dawn's smile faded. "You're still not worried about being a failure...are you?"

Ash adjusted his hat out of habit. "...I'm not sure."

"Why?" Dawn asked sadly.

"I just...I don't know. I feel like, maybe if I had stayed in the gym, I could have done something. Maybe Lance wouldn't have died. Maybe my mom wouldn't be in a coma. Maybe Brock would have a home. Maybe we wouldn't have had to have left without telling anyone. Maybe you...wouldn't be in danger like this." He said, trying to hide the depression in his voice.

"Ash..." Dawn began, but Ash kept talking.

"But don't get me wrong Dawn...the things you said to me were right. I don't feel like I did last week. I'm really glad I'm out here trying to do something about it, instead of sitting around moping. And if whether or not I've been a failure before, I'm not failing here. Team Plasma did those horrible things, and I'm not going to fail at stopping them!" Ash said with a confident grin.

Dawn smiled and linked her arm with Ash's, and plopped her head against his shoulder, causing Ash to jump slightly and blush.

"This is the Ash I like to see," Dawn stated, voice filled with admiration, "the determined, ready to face the world Ash. This is the Ash that I know can do anything."

After a few moments, Dawn let go, blushing as she realized how close she had gotten to him without even thinking about it.

"I...uh...thanks Dawn." Ash said nervously. _Now's not the time for crushes, Ash!_ He reminded himself, _serious, world-saving, adventure time._

They looked up and noticed the sun beginning to set. "We should head back," Dawn reasoned, "It sounds like we'll need to get going pretty early tomorrow."

Ash nodded in agreement. "Yeah..."

Dawn wasn't sure, but she swore she heard a hint of disappointment in his voice.

* * *

><p>The next morning came, and Wallace awoke Ash and Dawn from their rooms. They quickly got dressed and went downstairs to find Alder had made them a large breakfast. As Ash wolfed his down, Alder explained that they might not be able to stop during the flight to Unova, so they would need to fill up for later.<p>

Shortly after breakfast, the group took off on the backs of their Pidgeots. True to what Wallace said, it took the whole day to get there. Yet, Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu had to admit, the view of passing over the rest of the Hoenn region, the Sinnoh region, and finally, parts of the Unova region in the setting sun was beautiful.

They arrived in the evening, and the sun barely hung in the sky, giving them light to land in small clearing in the forest. Like the previous location, this safe house was another cabin in the middle of the woods.

Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu eagerly hopped off the backs of the Pidgeots and stretched their aching muscles; sitting the same way for all those hours had been excruciating.

"Pikaaaaaa!" Pikachu cried happily, practically stretching his tail from the trademark lightning bolt shape to a straight line.

"Thank you Pidgeots all, so much." Cynthia said, petting each Flying Type before returning them to their Pokeballs.

"I dunno about you guys, but I'm starved. I'll go get us something to eat. Over dinner, we're going to need go over the game plan for tomorrow." Alder said, turning to head back into the cabin.

Ash and Pikachu had spotted a few apples growing on a nearby tree. Impatience getting the best of him, he and Pikachu quickly decided it would be an awesome idea for the electric mouse to climb up the branches and toss Ash a few apples for them to share.

Pikachu easily made it up the tree, and began dropping some apples down to Ash, who caught them all skillfully. After getting a few down, Pikachu scurried down the tree and sat next to Ash, scarfing down an apple next to his trainer.

Dawn watched the display and laughed. She walked over and said, "You know, you'll ruin your appetite like that."

Ash looked over at her and grinned. "Would you like one?"

"Of course!" She answered. Ash threw one to her, and she plopped down in the grass next to him.

* * *

><p>Cynthia watched them from the cabin porch, lost in thought.<p>

_As much as I hate to admit it, _she thought, _Alder is right...I can't let these kids get hurt. It's my duty as Champion to protect people from threats such as Team Plasma. _

Despite her typical, calm demeanor, Cynthia had been torn up about getting Ash involved in the whole matter. It was an unfortunate change of plans.

_Is that how detached I've gotten? That Lance's death is a change of plans? No, it was a tragedy._ She corrected herself in her own mind.

Truth was, she had wanted to go get Ash, since she had more interaction with the young trainer than the other champions. But Lance was already in the area, and stated it would save valuable time they didn't have.

In Lance's death, she knew she had lost an old friend and valuable ally. And perhaps that's why she knew Ash could prove to be a good comrade: he too, was motivated by the loss. The loss of a childhood role model in Lance, and the functional loss of his mother.

Dawn had been a different matter altogether. She had decided to leave it up to them, but she knew the second she saw them enter Oak's lab together that Dawn was going as well. She had seen how fiercely loyal to Ash his friends were. They would stick with him through anything. And it had been true, they did need the firepower.

_Well then, it's clear._ Cynthia decided, _I will not let Team Plasma hurt them._

* * *

><p>As the group gathered around the dinner table, Cynthia cleared her throat while the others ate.<p>

"I'd like to discuss the plan Alder and I came up with for this attack. We came to this agreement last night after you two went to sleep." Cynthia began, "Alder is going to leave overnight tonight, and alert the surrounding area Gym Leaders to be on standby tomorrow. Barring any sort of interference, he should meet up with us during the planned attack on the gym."

"Speaking of which, didn't you travel with one of the Striaton Gym Leaders, Ash?" Alder asked through a mouthful of food.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, Cilan is a good friend of mine. He traveled with me right up until I left Unova after the tournament."

"Good. Then chances are, he'll be more than willing to help." Alder reasoned.

"Yes, that will hopefully help us. Now, Ash and Dawn, you two will be going in disguise into the museum portion of the gym, and scope the area. You'll be wearing a wire under your clothes that will allow me to hear everything surrounding you. I'll be in the security room with Lenora, observing the museum with the security cameras. If you guys hear or see anything suspicious, I want you to say the trigger phrase, and I will come investigate."

"And what would the trigger phrase be?" Dawn asked.

"The phrase is 'Turtwig is not a Water Type.' Just say that, and I will do some discrete observations. Don't be surprised if you don't see me." Cynthia explained. She looked pointedly at Dawn, and continued, "You will be wearing a radio-transmission earring. You are to stay in the Pokemon fossil section, but if I need you and Ash to go somewhere else, you'll hear my voice in your ear giving you specific instructions."

Dawn nodded. "No need to worry, sounds easy enough."

"Now, if this is done by way of mass attack, which is a strong possibility," Alder stated, "We'll need you two and your Pokemon to guard the main exit while Cynthia fights them, and I will be too provided I've returned. Chances are, once they see the Champions here to cut them off, they'll try to get out quickly, so you may see a lot of action coming your way. Be prepared."

Ash and Dawn gave a quick nod to signify they understood the instructions. Pikachu chirped a quick "Pika!" To signify that it was down with the plan as well.

"We'll be ready." Ash confirmed with a fiery determination in his voice.

"Alright. Sounds like we're all in agreement here." Alder said, grinning. "So, tomorrow is go-time. Let's get some sleep for now...we'll need it come tomorrow."

* * *

><p>The next morning came, and the trio of trainers awakened early. Of course, as planned, Alder had left in the cover of darkness to go round up some gym leaders.<p>

The disguises were fairly simple, since neither Ash nor Dawn were native to Unova. They just needed to make they weren't drawing attention to their faces. All Ash had to do was don a dark green hoodie and some sunglasses, and was advised to keep the hood up at all times.

Dawn was much of the same, but they needed to be different: if the two were dressed exactly the same, it could cause suspicion, however, having never been to Unova, she had much less of a chance of being recognized by anyone. They simply put her in some standard jeans and a t-shirt, but she borrowed one of Ash's spare baseball caps, which she was advised to keep the brim low to make it harder for anyone to see her face.

Finally, Cynthia attached the small electrical device to Ash's stomach. The close physical contact as Cynthia knelt down next to him, made Ash turn very red as he watched the attractive older woman. Dawn watched this with mixture of a being a little jealous at Ash's response, and very amused at the flustered boy.

As she finished, Dawn leaned over and whispered, "I didn't know you liked older women."

"Sh-shut up." Ash said, trying hard to hide his blush from her. Dawn giggled, she couldn't help but think about how cute Ash was when he was embarrassed, but she quickly chastised herself for not focusing on what was going on.

The last part of the mission was that, unfortunately, Pikachu had to stay with Cynthia for the time. At first, Pikachu and Ash were both reluctant, until Cynthia explained, "Team Rocket could easily get involved. And Team Rocket's biggest clue for recognizing you in the past, Ash, is that they just have to look for the kid with a Pikachu following him around."

"That...makes a lot of sense." Ash relented, and turned to Pikachu, "Buddy, listen to Cynthia, okay? This is really important."

Pikachu nodded in understanding, and gave Ash a reassuring, "Pika!" to show his support.

"And when things go down, I'll bring Pikachu with me, and he'll be back at your side. This is only for undercover purposes, not combat." Cynthia reasoned.

* * *

><p>After a quick breakfast of cereal (since none of them knew how to cook anyways), they used their Pidgeots to land outside of Nacrene.<p>

"Now, go straight to the museum, head inside, and go for the fossil sections. You will need to use code names, and the curators will know who you are and let you in for free, unquestioned. Lenora made sure of this. Ash, your codename is Dick Grayson, and Dawn, your codename is Barbara Gordon." Cynthia said, in a hurried way. "I will sneak into a back entrance from here. Remember, if anything goes down, say 'Turtwig is not a water type.'"

Ash and Dawn nodded. They began walking towards the Nacrene Gym, both feeling rather nervous. This was something unlike anything they had ever had to do before.

"So Ash...how are you feeling about this?" Dawn whispered as she walked alongside him.

"I...a lot of things. I'm excited to be out doing something about the people who attacked the Gym, but I can't help but be a little nervous. Not having Pikachu with me doesn't help." He replied quietly, "How about you?"

Dawn gave him a small but reassuring. "No need to worry, right? I'm nervous too, but we should be alright if you and I stick together."

Ash grinned back. "Right."

Entering the gym, they told the curator their code names. The curator winked at them and let them in free of charge.

"So how do we get to the Pokemon fossil section?" Dawn questioned.

"I uh...not sure." Ash said sheepishly.

"What? Haven't you been here before?" Dawn whispered furiously.

"A lot of stuff was going on! I er...forgot." Ash replied, glad she couldn't see him purposely avoiding eye contact behind his sunglasses.

"Dawn, it's Cynthia." A voice rang out from Dawn's ear, "Head to the left of where you guys are at now. I'll guide you to where I need you to be."

Dawn grabbed Ash's hand suddenly, taking him by surprise, and began leading him off to where she was told. "Dawn, what are you doing?" He asked, a little flustered. _I really need to focus._

"I just got this feeling in my head that I know where it is." She said, turning to give him a small wink.

"Huh? Oh! Right. Well, lead the way." Ash relented.

"Turn right at the next hallway."

As they made their way down the next hallway, they emerged in a room with a giant, dragonlike Pokemon skeleton looming over them.

"I see you found it. Try and scope out anyone or anything suspicious, but try to be discrete about it" Cynthia instructed.

"Cynthia said to look around, and find anything weird, but don't be obvious about it," Dawn whispered to Ash, who responded with a small nod.

At first, the two scanned around the room itself to see if anyone was acting strangely, but the museum everything seemed to check out; just a few people passing through, looking at exhibits and moving on to the next room.

"I'm going to look at some of the stuff in here and see if anything jumps out as potential 'hey-I'm-actually-a-legendary-Pokemon,' type of thing." Ash whispered to Dawn.

"Yeah, no one here looks that odd." She replied, walking off with him to look at a few things on the wall. However, they made sure to turn around frequently to keep looking for anything odd.

* * *

><p>In the security room, Lenora and Cynthia scanned over various security camera screens, noting nothing unusual. Pikachu wandered around the room restlessly.<p>

"So you guys couldn't confirm a time on this?" Lenora asked.

Cynthia shook her head without looking away from all the monitors. "Unfortunately not. Depending on their plans, we may be in for a long day. But it would give more time for Alder to get his reinforcements in."

A small electronic device on Cynthia's belt buzzed. She lifted it up and glanced at it, and informed Lenora, "Alder has gotten both Burgh and all three Striaton Gym Leaders on the way. He should be here soon."

* * *

><p>Back in the fossil room, Ash stopped in front of a weird exhibit that held a perfectly round black stone in a glass case. "What's this all about?" He wondered aloud.<p>

Dawn stopped next to him and looked at the stone as well. The plaque under it just read "Black Stone."

"It uh...certainly doesn't fit in with the rest of the exhibits." She said, unimpressed.

A security guard near them overheard her and walked over. "Oh, I see you kids actually stopped to look at this thing. Yeah, one of our researchers found it back awhile ago and brought it back. Said he had never seen anything like it. It's nice and all, but doesn't really fit in with any of the other things here. We just had some empty space here. Seems like a dumb place to put a rock though."

As the security guard walked off, Ash and Dawn shrugged and looked around to see if anyone new in the room looked off or suspicious.

After a little more aimless wandering about the room, the lights went out, leaving the room in pitch darkness. Causing the young trainers to jump.

_This can't be good, _Ash thought.

* * *

><p>In the control room, Cynthia smirked. "Predictable. Lenora, cue the new generator."<p>

"Starting up generator." Lenora said.

The lights were back on, and it had been just as Cynthia had predicted: Team Plasma had cut the lights in the Gym to give themselves a cover of darkness. On one of the security panels, three grunts were propeling down from the ceiling near the dragon-like skeleton fossil.

"Damn. Pikachu, come with me!" Cynthia barked, taking off down the hall, Pikachu right on her heels. She lifted her radio communicator and yelled in it to Dawn...

* * *

><p>A moment after the lights came on in the fossil room, Dawn gasped, tugged Ash's sleeve, and pointed to the three men dressed in black, hanging from ropes near the head of the dragon-like fossil.<p>

"That must be..." Dawn began, before Ash finished her sentence with rage. "Team Plasma! Turtwig is not a Water Type!"

"Dawn!" Cynthia's voice yelled into her ear, "I'm on my way - you two need to find a way to get them down quickly! Do whatever it takes!"

"Ash, we need to stop them! Quilava!" She exclaimed, while calling out her Fire Type Pokemon.

Ash didn't need to be told twice. "STARAPTOR! COME ON OUT, AND CUT THE ROPES WITH AERIAL ACE!"

The powerful bird pokemon emerged from its Pokeball and followed the command of its trainer. Swooping in at an incredible speed, it managed to cut all three ropes as one of the Team Plasma grunts had just grabbed onto the skull of the Dragon Skeleton. The three grunts plummeted to the ground, but managed to, impressively enough, land on their feet.

"Plan B!" One of the grunts exclaimed.

Plan B clearly wasn't the best plan of all time - it consisted of the one grunt holding the skull to run away, while the two other called out a Pokemon to attack Ash and Dawn. They called out a Scrafty and Garbodor. However, Dawn and Ash already had the advantage of having called out their Pokemon.

"Staraptor, use Close Combat on Scrafty!" Ash commanded.

"Quilava, use Fire Blast on Garbodor!" Dawn yelled.

The two Plasma Pokemon didn't have time to counter as the attacks hit. Both were knocked out, falling back onto the ground..

The third grunt had been running, however, as he got to the exit of the room, he came face to face with a Garchomp...with a Pikachu on its head. He froze in his tracks from fear. In fact, he had been so distracted, he didn't notice Cynthia approach him from the side to punch him in the face, which she did, knocking the grunt unconscious.

Pikachu ran back to Ash and hopped up onto its shoulder. Finding themselves severely outgunned, the two Plasma mooks placed their hands in the air to surrender.

Cynthia swiftly approached them and handcuffed them both, as Lenora charged into the room, picking up the Dragon Skull.

"Good work, you two." Cynthia said, beaming proudly.

"Looks like I'm a little late to the party." Came a gruff voice walking into the room. It had come from Alder. He walked up to the two grunts and lifted both of them up by the collar at the time, making the gulp from intimidation. "You two are going to tell us everything."

"No, they will not." Came a three voices, speaking in a creepy unison.

Everyone looked around, confused.

Three men appeared. No, not come in from a different room, not dropped from the ceiling, but just seemed to appear as if out of nowhere. They were all dressed in black, and each had a mask. One had a Pansage mask, one a Pansear mask, and the last had a Panpour mask. "We are the Shadow Triad. We are loyal to Ghetsis." They spoke in their creepy, monotonous voices.

This was about all anyone had time to notice before they took action. The one with the Pansear mask had appeared next to Alder, and roundhouse kicked him in the side of the head, making him drop the two Plasma grunts and fall to the ground.

The one in the Panpour mask had appeared behind Cynthia and had done the same.

The one in the Pansage mask had appeared in front of Lenora, and threw a smoke bomb at the ground.

Ash coughed in the smoke, and tried to yell for his Staraptor to use Whirlwind to get rid of the smoke, but before he could, he felt something hard hit him in the chest. As he was knocked onto his back, he realized that it had been someone's foot. Pikachu, had managed to hop off at the last groaned in pain as he hit the tile floor, the wind completely knocked out of him. He tried to clamber back up to his feet, but then Dawn came toppling down on top of him; something must have hit her as well. Pikachu quickly helped her push herself off of Ash.

"You alright?" He asked, wheezing slightly.

"Y-yeah I think." She answered.

"Staraptor, use Whirlwind to clear the room!" Ash yelled.

He couldn't hear the response, but from a large gust of wind that followed, Ash was relieved to see that Staraptor was doing as commanded. As the smoke cleared, everyone saw the Trio, the two Plasma Grunts, and a man dressed in some strange robes hastily leaving the museum via a whole they blasted in the side of the building following the confusion. One grunt was carrying the Dragon Skull, and it looked as if the other Plasma grunt had something as well. Ash, Dawn, Cynthia, Pikachu and Alder rushed out of the building, giving chase to the group.

At the front of the gym, the Plasma group split into two: the grunt with the Dragon Skull made a break for Pinwheel Forest with the man in strange robes and one member of the Shadow Triad, while the grunt smuggling something else bolted in the direction of Striaton with the other Triad members.

Charging towards them, Cynthia yelled out to the rest (she was the fastest), "Alder, you and Ash take the Forest, Dawn, come with me!"

At the split in the road, the parties went their separate ways as instructed.

_They aren't getting away!_ Ash thought angrily, as he and Alder charged into the dense Pinwheel Forest...

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter<strong>


	4. Submerged

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 4: Submerged**

**Thank you to everyone reviewing or adding this story to a Favorites/Alert. Means a lot to me. **

**Also: I don't know if anyone noticed, but the code-names Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon were Batman references. Bonus points to anyone who can tell me what characters they are in reference to.  
><strong>

**Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate it as well! (Late Easter depending on when I get this finished). **

**One last note: I realized that Ilex Forest is in Johto, and Unova Forest is called Pinwheel. I changed this in Chapter Three. I apologize for the error. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

* * *

><p>Adrenaline pumped through Dawn's veins as she chased after Cynthia, who, of course, was chasing down the two members of the Shadow Triad and the Team Plasma Grunt. They darted into a group of trees in an effort to evade the Champion, just outside of the Wellspring Cave.<p>

Without even breaking her stride, Cynthia called out her Lucario and uttered a simple demand: "Find them."

Lucario dashed off into a group of trees silently. Cynthia then called out her Togekiss and commanded it to look for the group of criminals from the air.

Taking the cue, Dawn also yelled for her Togekiss to join the search. The two trainers themselves stopped outside the trees. Cynthia turned to Dawn, as the younger girl caught her breath.

"Stay close to me." Cynthia warned. Dawn nodded. The two took off into the wooded area together.

It wasn't easy to keep up with the older woman. _When she goes running with her Pokemon, she's probably outrunning them, _raced across Dawn's mind as she chased the Sinnoh Champion. Of course, weaving in between various trees and jumping across downed logs didn't help, but she was able to stay close to the older woman.

From above, the cries of two Togekiss could be heard. It was coming from the east.

"This way!" Cynthia grunted, turning on a dime and taking off towards the sound of their voices.

The cries came from the two Togekiss came once again, this time sounding more distressed, compelling the Dawn and Cynthia to push their bodies to move even faster in attempt to come to their aid.

In a short distance, they saw that the two members of the Shadow Triad were using a Pansage and a Pansear to attempt to knock the two giant flyers out of the sky. Now that Cynthia had a good visual, she yelled to her Pokemon, "Togekiss, Water Pulse on Pansear!"

"Togekiss, use - Air Slash on Pansage!" Dawn yelled, gasping for breath halfway through. Her chest felt like it was on fire from all the running.

The two elemental monkeys were able to dodge the attacks by backflipping onto their corresponding owner of the Triad. Behind them, the Plasma Grunt was cowering in fear, covering whatever object he had stolen from the Nacrene Gym.

"Surrender, heathens." Cynthia barked in a downright scary voice. "Return what you have stolen, and we can do this without any pain."

"...gladly." Said the Triad wearing a Pansear mask.

The Triad with the Pansage mask looked down to the grunt. "Throw them the stone."

The grunt said nothing, but tossed what he was carrying to Cynthia, who effortlessly caught it, but was rather confused at how simple this had been. But once she had the object, she began to understand. It was the Black Stone.

"What...what did you guys want the Black Stone for?" Dawn asked, bewildered.

The two members of the Triad laughed sinisterly. "Quite simple. A diversion. Now your power group has been divided in half." They answered together.

Cynthia snarled. "Of course. You wanted to separate us, so you gave us two objects to chase after. But you were wrong to think we would be so easily defeated just because we have fewer numbers."

The Triad members only smirked in confirmation of the accusation.

They grabbed the arm of the Grunt, and were about to teleport.

But Cynthia wasn't falling for the same trick twice. The second they moved to leave, she called out: "Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

From an area unseen, Cynthia's Lucario launched the attack at the three criminals. The two Triad members slid to the side to avoid, but the grunt took the full attack, being flung into a tree, knocked out.

"Pansear, Flamethrower." The triad member with the Pansear masked answered calmly.

Cynthia and Dawn prepared to dodge, but then gasped as they realized what the real plan was. Pansear used the attack on many surrounding trees. The fire quickly caught onto the branches of the trees, and began spreading quickly.

They were starting a forest fire.

"Leave the failure." The Triad member with the Pansear stated venomously.

Both Triad members vanished, leaving the Grunt passed out under a burning tree.

"Lucario, return! Milotic, come out, and use Surf! Togekiss, keep using Water Pulse!" Cynthia commanded immediately, returning the Aura Fighter and exchanging for her rare Water Type.

"Togekiss, come back! Piplup, Buneary, come out!" Dawn yelled.

Milotic used Surf to douse quite a number of trees, but the fire was spreading faster than it alone could handle, and Togekiss' attack didn't have as wide of a range. Dawn quickly commanded Piplup to use Hydro Pump and Buneary to use Ice Beam to help put out as many fires as possible.

"We need to contain this before it spreads to Nacrene! Those bastards are willing to kill the whole city just to get rid of us!" Cynthia yelled angrily. "It's a sick disregard for human and Pokemon life."

The four Pokemon worked furiously to put out the flames. Dawn yelled out encouragement alongside her two, but out of the corner of her eye, she was a large flaming branch fall from the tree over Cynthia. Without thinking, she ran over and tackled the woman to the ground, saving her from being hit.

"I...thank you, Dawn." Cynthia said in shock. _And here I was, thinking I was protecting them..._

The two quickly recovered and moved away from the branch, which was now spreading flames on the grass. Cynthia quickly commanded Milotic to use Surf on the branch, and it doused all the ground flames before it could spread too quickly...

* * *

><p>Alder, Ash, and Pikachu were hot on the trail of the grunt, member of the Shadow Triad, and a Plasma member dressed in some strange garments. As they entered the Pinwheel Forest, they saw the criminal group head down a beaten path that led deeper into the woods.<p>

"ALDER!" A voice yelled out from down the more direct, concrete path. It was Burgh, running towards them.

However, Alder was on top of the situation: "BURGH! Go guard the exit! They're heading deeper into the woods! See if you can head them off if they try to escape!"

Burgh gave a quick nod and headed back towards the exit. Alder grabbed his radio communicator and barked yelled into it, "Lenora, guard the entrance to the forest. They're heading deeper into the woods, Burgh's covering the exit. We've cornered them!" He turned to Ash. "It's go time, kid!"

Ash nodded and gave a determined grin to Pikachu. "Pi!" It responded.

The Unova Champion charged through the beaten path, the young trainer from Pallet following at his heels.

As they hurtled deeper into the forest, startling various Grass and Bug Type Pokemon, they caught a faint glimpse of the strange garments the Plasma member had been wearing.

They came across a stream during the chase, with a fallen tree acting as the bridge. Alder didn't even seemed bothered by it as he took a running leap to clear half of it before running over the rest of it. Ash and Pikachu as well ran straight across without a second thought.

The further into the woods they went, the more of these log bridges there were. Finally, they approached a cliff, and the only apparent way up was a log that lay diagonally from the ground up onto the top of the cliff ledge. As Alder, Ash, and Pikachu arrived, they saw the Plasma Grunt with the Dragon Skull scramble off the tree and onto the solid ground.

Alder began charging up the tree, when the member of the Shadow Triad wearing a Panpour mask appeared at the top. With a sinister smile, he gave the side of the tree a fierce kick that dislodged it and sent it crashing to the ground on top of Alder.

"ALDER!" Ash screamed, running up to the Champion.

"D...don't let them get away, Ash! I'll be out of here in a minute." Alder replied, struggling to get free from the log.

Ash did as he was told. It had been noted before that he had the climbing abilities of a Mankey, so Pikachu hopped up onto his shoulder as Ash scaled the side of the small cliff. After hoisting himself up over the ledge in impressive time, he could see the criminal group running further in the distance.

"Sceptile, I choose you!" He yelled out, calling out his speedster Grass Type, "After them! Use Agility to cut them off, and attack them with Bullet Seed!"

Sceptile did as it was told, using impressive parkour skills amongst the trees to close the distance between itself and the Plasma members.

Sensing the approaching danger, the Triad member called out a Panpour, matching his mask.

"Mud Sport." He commanded in a monotonous tone.

The Panpour began flinging mud all over the place until finally Sceptile got stuck in mud trap. However, having received the previous command and being in close enough range, Sceptile attacked with Bullet Seed, knocking the elemental monkey to the ground. However, it proved its mettle by immediately rolling backwards onto its feet.

Ash finally caught up and clenched his fists angrily; the battle was on. He was surprised to see that both the Plasma Grunt and the man in strange garments had stopped to observe. Actually, the man in the garments stopped and commanded the Grunt to stop as well. The Grunt just looked rather freaked out, clutching the Dragon Skull.

"Leaf Storm, Sceptile!" Ash commanded.

"Double Team." Was the Triad member's reply.

The Panpour created various copies of itself. Leaf Storm managed to take out a few copies, but there were too many for Sceptile to hit all of them.

"Use Scratch."

Before Ash or Sceptile could react, the real Panpour lashed out and dug its claws into the side of Sceptile. But as soon as the shock wore off, Ash yelled out, "Leaf Blade!"

Before Panpour could create a distance between itself and the stuck Grass Type, Sceptile burst into the powerful attack, hitting the monkey at full force. Panpour was flung onto its back, defeated.

"Hand over the Dragon Skull, or you're next!" Ash demanded. Sceptile prepared itself to attack once more the second it received the order.

The Triad member looked ready to strike, but from atop Ash's shoulders, Pikachu sparked his cheeks menacingly; no way was anyone laying a hand on his trainer. The Triad member took full notice of this and grunted angrily.

"Stand down." The man in the strange robes said smoothly. He approached Ash calmly, and stood within attack range from Sceptile before stating, "I am Gorm, of the Plasma Seven Sages. And you, young man...I know you. You're Ash Ketchum. The one that was targeted in Pewter City a little more than a week ago."

Ash's fist twitched in anger. Gorm noticed and smiled sinisterly. "I see you are aware of our involvement already. Wonderful, saves me the time of explaining. Do you know why we were after you?"

Ash said nothing, just held a long death glare at the man. Gorm was not intimidated in the slightest, however, and continued speaking. "We target those who abuse Pokemon. We exist for the goal of liberating Pokemon from abusive trainers such as yourself. Look. Look at the wound on your Sceptile!"

Gorm's voice grew angry as he pointed at the mark on Sceptile that had been left from Panpour's scratch attack. "DO YOU SEE? DO YOU SEE THE TERRIBLE THINGS YOU PEOPLE FORCE THESE CREATURES INTO?"

However, Sceptile hissed at the Sage angrily, its voice clearly warning that it did not like the way the man was talking to its trainer.

"My Pokemon are my partners! My Pokemon are my friends, and I love them, damn you!" Ash yelled in response.

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled angrily in confirmation.

"Sceptile!" Sceptile added as well, in the same tone as Pikachu.

"And how true is that? Partners? What do you do for them? They work tirelessly for you, in an effort to satisfy your own selfish goals as a Pokemon Trainer!" Gorm responded, his voice slipping back into a calm, but cold and mocking demeanor.

"I would never, EVER make them do anything for me they weren't willing to do!" Ash growled lowly. "If you think Pokemon are just my tools, you're the biggest idiot I've ever met. I do everything I can to bring out the best in my Pokemon. My FRIENDS!"

"Charming. Your childish insults do not deter our goals in the freedom of Pokemon. Tell me, trainer, have you never met a trainer who mistreated or abused his Pokemon?" Gorm replied sinisterly.

Ash bit his tongue. His mind automatically snapped to Paul, his rival from the Sinnoh region. As a trainer (and as a person in general), Ash truly believed Paul to be the scum of the earth for the way he treated his Pokemon, especially Chimchar. It was true, he had been an abusive trainer.

Despite only gaining a look of doubt for a mere moment, it was more than enough for Gorm to pick up on. "I see from the look in your eyes that I am indeed correct. Tell me, you honestly don't believe that those Pokemon wouldn't be better off in the wild?"

Ash pulled his hand up to his forehead in an automatic response, before remembering he was still in his undercover clothes, and wasn't wearing his hat. So he ran his hand through his hair, frustrated, instead. Still, the adrenaline helped him keep his wits about him, as he answered, "But why split up all of them? Why split up thousands of good friendships instead of just going after the ones that are actually the problem?"

"You fool, ALL of them are problematic. Disturbing the order of nature just to satisfy the curiosity of selfish humans...we want to put Pokemon and people on an equal level." Gorm replied.

Ash had heard enough. "I don't believe you. I've seen enough of your types of groups to know what there's always some sort of other stupid goal, like taking over the world or something. And the equality of Pokemon doesn't justify murder, or bombing someone's home!"

Gorm snickered. "We destroyed a Pokemon Gym. They represent all the evil nature of forced Pokemon battles. What else could make a more perfect target?"

"You're a monster." Ash scowled.

Gorm laughed. "How foolish can you be, child?"

_Enough of this crap._ "SCEPTILE, USE LEAF BLADE!"

Sceptile was more than happy to oblige, but considering it was stuck in the Mud Sport, the attack just barely missed, as the Shadow Triad member was able to grab Gorm and pulled him from harms way.

The Triad member stood between Sceptile and Gorm, and glared at Ash.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Sceptile, return!" Ash commanded, returning Sceptile in an effort to get him out of the mud trap.

"CHU!" Pikachu shouted, shooting a bolt of electricity at Triad member. He performed a barrel roll to the left to dodge, and the bolt struck a rock behind him.

Before the battle could progress further, the Team Plasma Grunt as well as Sage Gorm yelped in surprise, as they were grabbed by the back of their collars and lifted into the air by a Cofagrigus.

The Triad member turned around and gasped angrily.

Before Ash could react, Pikachu had hit him with a light Quick Attack, pushing him out of the way of an Air Slash that had almost hit him in the small of the back.

Ash looked to find the source of the attack and grimaced; Jessie had managed to position herself behind him and had attacked with Swoobat. Glancing over to the apprehended Plasma members, he saw James standing near Cofagrigus with Meowth.

"I don't believe either of you will be leaving with the Dragon Skull." Jessie stated in her usual smug demeanor.

"I see Team Rocket has caught wind of our plan." Gorm said, having regained his calm attitude.

"Quiet, you!" Meowth said, brandishing his claws in attempt to threaten the Sage. Gorm merely smirked at the cat-like Pokemon and said nothing else.

The Triad member took a ninjutsu stance, apparently not intimidated in the least.

"Just hand over the Dragon's Skull, and Team Rocket will allow you to finish your little quarrel here in one peace. We have no interest in interfering in whatever Team Plasma wants to do with twerps." James negotiated.

"Never!" Ash growled angrily. _Now is really not the time for these guys. Just when I was making progress here._

"You have no say in the position of the Dragon Skull." The Triad member said emotionless, as he gripped a second Pokeball that Ash had not yet seen. _If he had more Pokemon, why hasn't he called it out?_

"Enough chatter. Swoobat, use Air Slash again!" Jessie commanded.

Swoobat aimed an Air Slash at Pikachu, who was prepared this time, it hopped over to the side to easily evade the attack.

"Thunderbolt it, Pikachu!" Ash yelled.

Meanwhile, the Triad member released his second Pokemon: a Stoutland.

"Stoutland, use Crunch." The Triad member demanded immediately.

Cofagrigus tried to use the two Plasma members as human shields, but Stoutland was apparently trained in a similar manner to the Shadow Triad. It vaulted over to the top of Cofagrigus and was able to land the effective attack, causing Cofagrigus to yelp in pain.

Frustrated, James ordered his Pokemon to drop the two people and respond with Hyper Beam. Cofagrigus did as it was told, but Stoutland was too fast for the attack to land.

"Stoutland, use Thunder Fang." The Triad member stated quite calmly.

Meanwhile, Pikachu had been able to score a direct hit on Swoobat. But Swoobat wasn't going down without a fight.

"Swoobat, use Psywave on Pikachu!" Jessie yelled desperately.

Ash surveyed the battleground, and noticed a good escape route for his friend; "Pikachu, jump and grab on to the the low branch above you, and hit it with one more Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu did as it was told, leaping up and gripping a small, low hanging branch above it as the Psychic waves passed under him. He then unleashed another big Thunderbolt attack which blasted Swoobat head on, knocking it out.

Ash looked over his shoulder to see that the Triad member's Stoutland had finished off James Cofagrigus.

Meowth jumped at the Triad member's face in an effort to attack with Fury Swipes, but the man in the Panpour mask easily swerved his body to the left, grabbed Meowth's head, and brought his knee to Meowth's face. Then he threw Meowth back to James. James' cold and ruthless expression broke immediately as he caught Meowth. "Meowth, are you okay?"

"Oh, where's all the talk about abusing Pokemon now?" Ash snarked angrily at the display.

Jessie as well ran over to James and Meowth, concerned.

For some reason, Gorm began laughing maniacally. A small beeping was coming from a headset he was wearing. He turned to the member of the Shadow Triad, looking triumphant.

"Our objective is complete, esteemed colleague of the Shadow Triad." He said with wicked glee in his voice.

"W-what?" Ash cried out in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Gorm plucked a small electronic voice off the Dragon Skull. It gleamed in the sunlight that poured through the top of the trees.

"This small device has been analyzing all the genetic information of this skull and has been sending it to Team Plasma Headquarters." Gorm taunted. He then tapped a small headset device on his ear. "We only needed this Skull for a short amount of time, and not even at our main base. I have received word that after analyzing the Dragon Skull, it is not related to either of our goals, Triad Member. Feel free to dispose of all opposition."

"Stoutland, Take Down." The Triad member responded to the order.

The Pokemon obliged, hitting all three members of Team Rocket, sending them careening deeper into the woods. Ash heard a crashing noise that gave him the feeling he wouldn't be seeing them again.

The Triad member and his Stoutland turned to Ash and Pikachu. Ash grit his teeth and stood his ground. Pikachu stood in front of him and sparked his cheeks. They were ready.

The Triad member, however, looked at his Stoutland. "Wooded area Maneuver Three."

The Triad member dashed to his left into the trees, Stoutland going the other way.

Ash and Pikachu glanced around, on their guard. Gorm and the terrified Plasma Grunt watched, Gorm looking quite amused.

Unfortunately, Ash just wasn't as fast as the member of the Shadow Triad. The older, masked man came from the side and pushed Ash up against a tree, lifting him by the collar in the process.

Before Pikachu could save his trainer, Stoutland charged the electric mouse and attacked it with a vicious Crunch attack.

"Pikachu, use Thunderb-hmph!" Ash cried out before the Shadow Triad member slammed his hand over Ash's mouth.

But Pikachu had understood the command. Despite the larger dog-like Pokemon clamping its teeth around him, Pikachu was still able to blast it with the powerful electric attack. Stoutland was blasted into the side of the tree, but the larger dog Pokemon was tough enough to get right back up, growling at the Electric Type.

"Enough." The Triad member stated. Still holding Ash against the tree with one arm, he brandished a knife from his pocket in the other, and held it up to Ash's throat. Ash stopped squirming altogether at the sight of the steel. "Attack Stoutland once more, and Ash will be needing an eyepatch."

Pikachu immediately stood down, and looked to the ground, defeated.

"Good. Now, use Fire Fang, Stoutland."

Stoutland did as such, and clamped down on Pikachu with a mouthful of flames. Pikachu made no effort to resist the attack, and cried out in pain before fainting.

Gorm calmly walked over to the defeated Pikachu and stood over him. He looked to Ash, smiling coldly. "Do you see? Do you see the pain your partner has gone through all for you?"

Still held at knife-point, Ash couldn't seem to find his tongue.

* * *

><p>Dawn and Cynthia had, after a long time of desperation and close calls, had managed to extinguish all the flames. However, a large portion of the trees just outside of the Wellspring Cave had been burned to the ground. Tired, sweaty, and aching from the effort, Dawn and Cynthia recalled their exhausted Pokemon<p>

"The Plasma mook...where is he?" Cynthia asked, realizing that the Grunt had slipped away in the confusion. She and Dawn looked around, frustrated at the turn of events.

However, Dawn heard a rustling a few trees down, and saw the silhouette of the Grunt sneaking away.

"No you don't! Mamoswine, come out and use Ice Beam!"

The large Twin Tusk Pokemon was released, and obeyed the command, freezing the Grunt in his tracks.

"I see Buneary's little lesson for when she caught you ogling Ash taught you a little trick." Cynthia beamed proudly.

Dawn blushed. "I-I wasn't ogling him!"

Before she could give the younger coordinator a hard time, Cynthia's eyes widened. "Ash and Alder. We need to go help them. If the real goal for Team Plasma was to obtain the Dragon's Skull, they would have more tricks up their sleeve than just this!"

Fear for Ash began to well up in Dawn's mind and heart. "Okay, let's go!" She turned to run, but Cynthia grabbed her collar, and shook her head. She called out two of the special Pidgeots the League had provided. As Dawn hopped on, she looked over to see Cynthia quickly place a tracking device on the Plasma Grunt. Cynthia mounted her Pidgeot and the two took off in the direction of Pinwheel Forest.

* * *

><p>Pinned against a tree, Ash began to sweat as a knife still hovered over his face.<p>

Gorm was now standing directly to his left, taking full advantage of his ability to gloat at the ten year old trainer. The Plasma Grunt, no longer terrified, stood behind his boss and sneered.

"So tragic, to see a young life being sent down such an unfortunate, selfish path. Goals like Pokemon Training, throwing innocent creatures out to get hurt for you. Let's see how you like it." Gorm said voice filled with a twisted happiness.

The knife was pulled away from Ash's face, as Gorm brought his left fist down and buried it into Ash's stomach. Ash leaned forward and wheezed in pain. The member of the Shadow Triad grabbed the back of Ash's head and threw him forward on to the ground. Ash tried to climb up onto his knees, but Gorm kicked him in the side, knocking Ash over on his back, groaning in pain.

"Tie his wrists behind his back." Gorm instructed the Grunt. For good measure, he kicked Ash once more in the side to force him over onto his stomach. Gorm reached into his robe and pulled out some rope, and the Grunt did as he was told.

Gorm picked up Pikachu and slung him over his shoulder like a prize. He then grabbed the Dragon Skull. The Shadow Triad member and the Grunt each grabbed Ash under an arm and began dragging him off behind Gorm.

"Please...please don't hurt Pikachu..." Ash pleaded weakly.

Gorm looked over his shoulder with a sinister look in his eye. "It's not him you should be worried about, boy."

* * *

><p>The trees over Pinwheel Forest were too thick for Cynthia or Dawn to get a proper visual of the area from overhead. So they decided to land just outside the entrance to the Forest, where they came face to face with Lenora. Cynthia immediately returned the Black Stone to her.<p>

"The Black Stone? This is what they stole? What in the name of Arceus for?" Lenora asked, bemused.

"A distraction." Cynthia replied bitterly, "They wanted us all separated. What's going on?"

"Alder and Ash charged on in after the thugs. Alder radioed me to guard the front, and Burgh to guard the exit." Lenora explained.

"How long ago was that?" Dawn asked, worried.

Lenora frowned. "About an hour ago. I just checked in with Burgh, he's had nothing on his end."

Cynthia scowled. "Dawn, we're going in. Follow me."

Cynthia bolted into the woods, barely giving Dawn enough time to follow after her. Cynthia was charging down the old, worn path that led deep into the forest, frightening many of the smaller Pokemon. Various Swadloons cowered in fear, as this was the third group of humans to make such a ruckus in their habitat.

As they headed deeper into the woods, they crossed the same river that Ash and Alder had made it across earlier. Crossing a few more of these improvised birdges, they found themselves hitting a dead end at the side of a cliff.

"This doesn't seem right. There must be a way up there, or else someone would be here, or there would be some sign of struggle." Cynthia deduced.

"Try looking down at the Champion trapped under a tree." Came a gruff voice a few yards away.

Cynthia and Dawn dashed over to see Alder pinned under a log, struggling to get out or reach his Pokeballs.

With some effort, Cynthia and Dawn managed to get the log off of him and helped him to his feet, as he clutched his back in pain.

"What happened here?" Dawn asked.

Alder quickly cleared his throat and explained what had gone on as he and Ash had chased the crooks into the forest, and how the member of the Shadow Triad ambushed him while climbing the log.

"...and then I told Ash to..." Alder's eyes widened in horror as he realized the fatal error he had made, "...to go after them."

Dawn felt her heart sink into her stomach, blood running cold in fright. Cynthia, enraged, slapped the man across the face.

"YOU IDIOT!" Cynthia screamed in his face, "YOU SENT A TEN YEAR OLD BOY AFTER THREE ADULTS OF A CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION, ALONE!"

"I deserved that. I hadn't been thinking, the adrenaline got ahold of me." Alder explained, overcome with shame for his carelessness.

"We need to find him!" Dawn cried out in a panic.

Not waiting for approval from either Champions, Dawn called out her Togekiss, who flew her up the side of the cliff. Cynthia used her Togekiss to do the same for her and Alder. The three ran down the path until they came upon various mud traps that seemed out of place.

"These...these came from a Pokemon using Mud Sport." Cynthia observed. "There was a battle here."

She scanned the area, trying to find what had happened afterwards, but was interrupted by a groan from nearby. The three ran over to a group of trees to find the source of the noise: Jessie, James, and Meowth were slumped up against a tree, starting to recover from being knocked unconscious earlier.

Sadly for them, they were greeted to the menacing figures of a Garchomp and a Volcarona looming over them. Cynthia and Alder stood beside their Pokemon, with eyes full of venom. Dawn stood between the two Pokemon, glaring at them with a mixture of worry and rage.

Jessie, James and Meowth trembled in fear. Dawn couldn't help but feel satisfied at the sight, for all the trouble they had not only caused her, but had placed upon Ash since he began his journey.

"You have five seconds to tell us what happened in these woods before you can add third degree burns to your list of injuries." Alder threatened.

* * *

><p>Deeper into the woods, off the path, Gorm had led his cohorts and the captive Ash near what appeared to be a small lake or pond in the midst of the trees.<p>

"Halt." The Sage commanded, turning to his disciples, Pikachu still hanging over his shoulder like some sort of cruel fashion statement.

"What should we do with the kid, sir?" The Grunt asked.

Ash just stared at the ground, defenseless and scared.

"Well, maybe we should reward him for his efforts." Gorm replied. But the cruel pleasure in his voice made Ash tremble. Ash looked up in a desperate confusion.

"After all, Mr. Ketchum, you put in such a great effort to get this Dragon Skull. Since we don't need it, you can keep it. Esteemed member of the Shadow Triad?" Gorm continued.

The Shadow Triad member nodded, and drug Ash over to Gorm. The two proceeded to tie Ash against the Dragon Skull, placing Ash on his rear. Gorm squatted down and held the unconscious Pikachu up to the young man's face. "Would you like to say goodbye to your so-called friend?"

It became very clear to Ash that he was not going to be leaving the forest that day. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he choked out a sad, "I'm so sorry, Pikachu," before trying to contain himself from having an all-out breakdown; if he was going out, he wanted to retain some dignity.

Gorm just smirked. "You should be. It was your poor choices as a person that got you here."

Gorm produced a Pokeball from the inside of his robes. "Conkeldurr, come give me a hand."

The giant muscle-bound Pokemon materialized from the Pokeball. It looked at Gorm expectantly.

Gorm just smiled, taking extreme delight in the situation. "Dispose of the Skull and the parasite attached to it in that body of water, will you?"

Ash gasped, the weight of the situation paralyzing his mind and numbing his soul with fear.

The Pokemon dropped its concrete pillars and lifted the boy with ease. Without so much as a second thought, it threw Ash towards the lake.

Before hitting the surface of the water, Ash's brain seemed to awake from the state it was in, and he unleashed a blood-curling scream of desperation and terror. He was silenced as he smacked against the hard surface of the lake. He struggled as much as he possibly could, but with his hands tied behind his back, and the Dragon Skull behind him weighing him down, he quickly was submerged under the water. He eyed the fleeting surface with envy as he struggled to hold his breath, but he knew it was a futile effort.

_Mom, I'm so sorry. I failed you._

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter Four.<strong>

**This was particularly hard to write; growing up, I had a terrible fear of drowning. I can't imagine a more tortuous way to die. So, you're probably wondering if I'm actually going to kill Ash off. Well, if I wanted you to know yet, I wouldn't have ended on a cliff hanger, would I?  
><strong>


	5. Purpose

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 5: Purpose**

**You all called my bluff. I'm not killing him off.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Pokemon.**

* * *

><p>Cold. Ash felt very cold. And pain. Pain in his chest, and throughout most of his upper body. Someone was pounding on him, or at least, that's what it felt like. <em>Is this how they greet you in the afterlife?<em>

Struggling to open his eyes, Ash saw blurred figures standing over him. One of them was pushing on his chest, and began blowing into his mouth.

Before his brain could process anything else, his body automatically rolled onto its side, and Ash proceeded to vomit violently. He felt his insides burn as his body forced itself to expel the water that had invaded his system. The process continued for several minutes before Ash felt empty inside, and curled himself into a ball, shivering uncontrollably.

He became vaguely aware that his clothes were soaked as he struggled for warmth. He heard some voices yelling around him. Something rose up in his throat again, and released more bile from within.

He didn't remember what happened next. It just felt like he was moving. Maybe someone was carrying him, he couldn't tell. After what seemed like an eternity of freezing skin and burning insides, he finally felt his wet clothes being removed, and something warm be placed over him before blacking out again.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he came to. He groaned; his body felt like it had been hit by a truck. He wanted to open his eyes but they just felt too heavy to move. After a brief struggle, he finally forced his eyelids open to try and evaluate the surrounding area.

He was in a room he couldn't remember ever being in before. It was dark in the room, save for some light from the full moon outside his window. His eyes darted around; and that's all he could do for a few minutes. His head felt like a lead brick on top of his neck. From what he could tell, it looked like a room in a hospital or Pokemon Center.

_I'm alive._ He thought to himself in disbelief. _How? Wasn't I at the bottom of a lake?  
><em>

He struggled to remember the events of the last day through his fatigue. Everything seemed too hazy to him. But something snapped into his mind after a minute.

_Pikachu._ Ash's mind screamed.

_They took him. He gave himself up. For me. And they took him. I let them take him._

Ash tried to get up to move but his body wouldn't let him. Defeated, he rolled his head to the side, and was shocked to see a figure next to him.

Dawn was in a chair near the bed he was in. She was laying on top of one of her arms, set against a nightstand next to the bed. From ray of moonlight that was coming into the room, he could see her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

_And I told her nothing would happen to me. I wonder how long she's been here..._Ash thought, guiltily.

Ash rolled over onto his side painfully, before his body's demand for more rest got the better of him. He wanted to reach out and grab her hand, to maybe give her some level of comfort, but his arm wouldn't extend past the end of the bed.

_I'll get you back Pikachu...I always do._ He thought, closing his eyes._ And I'm sorry Dawn. You shouldn't have to worry about me._

* * *

><p>When he awoke again, light was pouring into the room. Now, Ash's body felt much better. He was able to sit up, despite still having a some aches. However, he clutched his side as in pain; he had some bruising from where Gorm had kicked him, but he saw it had been bandaged up. He looked over to the side of his bed to see that Dawn was no longer there. However, a scrap of paper had been left behind for him. He leaned over gingerly to take a look at it.<p>

**Ash,**

**I really hope you wake up soon and can read this. Alder and Cynthia had received a message from Wallace that Team Plasma was setting up an operation to forcibly take Pokemon from unwitting trainers in Castelia City. They left you with your friend Cilan at the safe house saying you were in stable condition. They wanted me to come with them, Burgh, Lenora, and Cilan's brothers in order to help stop Team Plasma.**

**Please be alright Ash. You promised me you would be okay.**

**Love, Dawn**

Ash dropped the note and brought his knees up to his chest.

_I must be such a disappointment. I let everyone down. Cynthia was counting on me to be a threat to Team Plasma, and instead I nearly get killed. Who was I kidding? I'm no hero._

The emptiness of the room began to just bring the reality of the fact that his usually ever-present companion Pikachu was stolen as well. _Everything Pikachu has done for me, and I couldn't save him. Alder told me not to let them get away. And what happened? They got away with my best friend. And Dawn sat with me all night. She must feel like hell, and now she's out there. What if something happens to her?_

Ash began to cry as the door opened. Cilan had come in to check on him, and the older connoisseur was shocked to see the young man sitting up already. He quickly rushed over next to the bed, asking, "Ash, are you alright?"

Ash trembled with sadness, but was able to look up at his friend. So many questions and statements ran through his mind that he wanted answers to, but the only response he could think of was, "No. I'm not. What happened to me?"

Cilan bit his lip. He was hoping he wouldn't have to be the one to fill Ash in.

* * *

><p>"...and that's when that Plasma creep's Stoutland disposed of us." Jessie answered bitterly. Not like she had much of a choice; Cynthia and Alder had tied all of Team Rocket against a tree and were threatening them with two of the most powerful Pokemon they had ever seen.<p>

"We don't know where the twerp is, but I doubt he's in any better shape than us." James snapped.

The words hit Dawn like a knife. Mostly because it was all she had been think about.

Suddenly, one of Cynthia's radio communicators began crackling. _Ash's wire, _she realized, _we must be in range of him._

"We near the kid?" Alder asked hopefully.

Cynthia lifted the communicator up, but the voices coming through were too garbled to make any sense of. "We must be barely out of range. The dense trees aren't exactly helping eith-"

She was interrupted by a loud a scream that came from her communicator that made her drop the object in shock. But the scream was audible in the distance of Pinwheel Forest as well. Shortly afterwards, the communicator line made a violent static noise, as if suffering an electrical problem, and the line went dead. Dawn cried out in panic.

Alder recklessly charged off into the forest in the direction of the noise, and Cynthia and Dawn followed after him.

"What about us?" Meowth yelled angrily.

Despite being the eldest of the group and having an injured back, Alder's feet practically never seemed to even hit the ground as he proceeded into the woods ahead of his colleagues. No, his mind was driven specifically on rectifying the mistake he had made earlier in actively sending Ash into the forest alone.

It wasn't long until they reached the small lake that Ash had been carelessly flung into. They arrived just in time to see Gorm and the Plasma Grunt standing on either side of the Shadow Triad member in the Panpour mask.

"WHERE'S THE BOY?" Alder barked in a state of fury.

His only response was a small laugh, and a dry, "You are too late," from Plasma Sage Gorm, before they were teleported away from the area by the Shadow Triad member.

The emptiness in the clearing was almost taunting to the three.

But they had failed to take into account Cynthia's high powers of observation. She glanced over at the lake and saw an unusual amount of rippling in the surface of the water. Her mind cut back to the violent way her communicator line had died, as if something had shorted it.

With no time to explain the situation, she charged at the water and called out her Milotic. The Pokemon materialized in the lake and Cynthia dived in next to it. She grabbed on to the side and issued the simple demand, "Dive."

"What are you doing?" Alder yelled frantically, not really expecting an answer from the lake.

Dawn was beside herself with worry. The only thing she could think of was that somewhere, somehow, Ash was dead. The only thing keeping her from going hysterical was the fact that she could not confirm he was dead.

Milotic moved like a jet underwater, and Cynthia guided it over to the source of the commotion she had seen.

She quickly thanked Arceus in her mind as her hopes were recognized; it had indeed been Ash. There he was, sinking in the lake, tied up against the Dragon Skull. Milotic knew exactly what it's master wanted from it, as she swooped Cynthia in to grab the boy, and then made a quick U-turn and headed towards the surface so that Cynthia didn't end up like Ash was.

The water type made it's way to the shore, and Cynthia managed to carry Ash and the Dragon Skull to shore safely.

Dawn and Alder ran towards them but Cynthia hissed, "Stay back!" Both Dawn and Alder paused at the words, and looked at each other. Alder gave a small nod and both of them backed up.

Working as quickly as her hands would allow, she brandished a small knife and cut Ash free. She checked him for a pulse and inwardly grimaced when she could not find one, and she could feel his body freezing up.

With no time to disinfect his mouth from the bacteria, she began pushing on his chest to simulate breathing, and opened his mouth to perform CPR.

Upon seeing this, Alder radioed Burgh. "Burgh, we're by a lake in the forest. We need medical assistance, NOW!"

"I'm on it." Burgh responded.

Dawn watched Cynthia's afters, feeling as if she was frozen. _This can't be real. It just can't be, _her mind repeated over and over, for what seemed like hours.

Alder was trying to give Burgh the coordinates for their position in as much detail as possible.

Finally, Burgh and a few League Officials arrived at the scene. And just as they did, Ash let out a groan, sparking hope in Dawn's heart. However, he began shivering violently, and he proceeded to roll onto his side and violently expel the water from his body by means of vomiting. Ash shook in what looked like a painful way as he did so, before he curled into a trembling ball on the ground and passed out. The sight of it made Dawn's heart break.

Burgh had gotten an ambulance on to a road in the forest. Alder picked Ash up and ran with him the rest of the way until they made their way back to the cement path that cut through Pinwheel Forest. Burgh and the League Officials road with him in there, telling Cynthia they would take him to a special "League Location," that was hidden from public knowledge.

Dawn had followed the whole time, still shell-shocked at the turn of events. As the ambulance pulled away, Cynthia once again called out their transportation Pidgeots. Realizing the trouble she was having, they helped Dawn onto the flyer before taking off.

They later arrived at what looked like an abandoned building on the outskirts of Castelia City around sunset. It was completely boarded up in the front, but Alder led them around to the back of the building.

"This," he had explained, "is a League-Only medical and research facility. It's completely hidden from public knowledge for this purpose. Whenever someone gets injured on the field, they come here to get themselves patched up."

He pushed a special brick on the back of the building, which slid upwards and revealed an electronic numeric pad. Alder punched in a few numbers, and a few bricks jutted backwards and slid to the side revealing a door. Alder, Dawn, and Cynthia made their way inside. Dawn was vaguely surprised that it looked a lot like a normal Pokemon Center, driven home by the fact that a Nurse Joy was even there.

"Ah, there you are, Champion Alder. Burgh told me to expect you." Nurse Joy said, although without her usual peppy attitude.

"Where's Ash?" Dawn asked immediately to anyone who was listening. She didn't care who answered, she just needed to know.

"Yes, how is he holding up?" Cynthia asked somberly.

"Come with me, I'll take you to his room. He's breathing normally, but we had to remove his clothes and warm him up before hypothermia could set in. He must not have been dead for long, because he seems to have recovered fine." Nurse Joy explained gently. Still, Alder, Cynthia, and Dawn all flinched at her choice of words.

_He died. He actually was dead._ The thought nearly broke Dawn's mind.

When they got in the room, they were all surprised to see the three Striaton Gym Leaders in with the League Officials and Burgh, discussing the events. Alder and Cynthia went to speak with them, whereas Dawn immediately went to Ash's side, where Nurse Joy explained what had happened to him.

"Cilan, Cress, Chili, what are you guys doing here already?" Alder asked, bewildered.

"I can explain," Burgh began, "After you radioed me, I contacted the officials to come out and to the Forest to get Ash. I then filled Lenora in on the situation, and luckily for us, Cilan, Cress, and Chili here had arrived to help out. They booked it through the woods and got here to check on Ash. Cilan here especially wanted to check on his friend."

Cilan nodded. "Trouble has its way of finding Ash, like frosting finds a cake."

"What can we do to help you guys out?" Cress asked calmly.

Something snapped into Cynthia's mind. "Contact Wallace at the League Headquarters. I placed a tracking device on a Plasma Grunt that Dawn froze with Ice Beam. Have Wallace track him down and go bring him into custody. We also left Team Rocket tied to a tree in Pinwheel Forest. Try to retrieve them as well."

Cress nodded and motioned for Chili to come with him. "You coming Cilan?"

Cilan shook his head. "No, I'd rather stay here, make sure Ash is alright."

His brothers nodded in understanding and left the room.

It became uncomfortably silent in the room as everyone turned to look at the recovering Ash Ketchum. Cilan nervously looked over at the two Champions who both seemed to be at a loss for words. Dawn however, had taken a seat directly next to Ash, and was stroking his hair, looking lost in thought, and on the verge of tears. Nurse Joy just looked at her with pity before sighing.

"I will need all of you to leave the room while I bandage him up." She said, not exactly thrilled to have to announce this.

"Bandage him up? Why, what happened?" Alder asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

Nurse Joy grimaced as she pulled the blankets on his bed down just below his waist. Dawn gasped quietly, while Cilan just looked to his feet in dismay. Alder cursed in fury, and Cynthia just turned at the sight. Most of Ash's midsection was covered in bruises from various blows he had taken from Gorm.

"He doesn't have any internal bleeding, but it will be for the best if we at least get these covered for some protection." Nurse Joy explained.

"Can...can I please stay and help?" Dawn asked, voice pleading to stay near Ash.

Nurse Joy looked to Alder, unsure of how reasonable this request was. Alder just nodded before storming off out of the room.

Cilan walked over to the bed. "I'll help too, if that's alright with you ladies."

"Of course, Cilan." Nurse Joy answered.

Cilan walked over to Dawn and extended his hand. "And you must be Dawn?"

Dawn sadly nodded and returned Cilan's handshake.

Cilan gave her a sad smile. "I figured as much, Ash spoke of you all the time. I would even go as far to say you were the premium brand of his human traveling partners!" He finished by tapping his nose knowingly.

Dawn blushed slightly and tilted her head in confusion. "Premium what?"

Cilan laughed. "Oh nothing. Just Pokemon Connoisseur talk. How can we be of service, Nurse Joy?"

So the three got to work. Dawn and Cilan gently lifted Ash into a sitting position as Nurse Joy began to look over his wounds again to make sure there were no cuts, cleaned them, and began to wrap him up.

* * *

><p>Outside, Cynthia was pacing along the hallway, mind in complete disarray. Alder emerged from Ash's room, and walked up to her, a little hesitant after the giant slap she had given him earlier in the forest.<p>

"We need to talk." Alder said grimly.

Cynthia sighed. "I'm aware."

They turned around and looked at each other, neither quite sure what to say.

"They...Ash...this isn't a good idea." Cynthia said, looking down to her feet.

"It's my fault. Dawn stayed with you, and she was fine. I sent Ash off by himself, and...well, we're lucky. He's going to be alright." Alder replied.

Cynthia took in his words and gave a small laugh. "Funny, we both seemed to change our minds, and yet we still can't agree."

Alder shrugged. "It's too late to back out now. Team Plasma knows the kids are involved. The safest place they can be is with us, they have targets painted on them now more than ever. I don't like it anymore than you do at this point. But maybe we can find some other way for them to be of use without sending them out into the field like -"

'You don't get it, do you?" Cynthia hissed in a fury that took Alder by surprise. "I brought them into this. I swore to myself that you were wrong, that I wouldn't let Team Plasma do anything to them. The Plasma loyals we chased towards Wellspring Cave started a huge forest fire. We struggled for what seemed like forever. And you know what? She saved me from getting hit by a burning branch. Dawn, a ten-year-old trainer, saved my life. And then, the boy I dragged into all this died. Do you realize that? Ash was actually dead. I failed as a Champion. I failed myself."

She turned from Alder, fists clenched, teeth pressed together in rage. She had never felt this angry in all her time as a Champion.

"Cynthia. You saved Ash's life. You're the reason he's alive. You brought them into this. You can figure out what to do with these kids." Alder said in a soft voice. "After all, you're the brains of the operation."

Alder turned and decided to head downstairs to grab something to eat.

* * *

><p>Dawn and Cilan gently laid Ash back down. "So, when will he be up and about to bake the epic cake of adventure?"<p>

Nurse Joy bit her lip anxiously. "Under normal circumstances, I would say he should rest for a few days. But he should be up and mobile tomorrow. Although how he'll be physically? I don't know..."

Dawn couldn't help but smile; it was the best news she'd heard all day. She instinctively grabbed Ash's hand and smiled down at him. As his body warmed up and he began to recover, he actually looked peaceful. It didn't matter if he was still recovering tomorrow, or a little banged up. _He's going to be okay._

She sat down next to him. Cilan gave her a sly smile. "I see someone is looking to make Mr. Ketchum her prime ingredient."

Dawn blushed, but unlike usual, she had no denials right now. She was too happy that Ash was going to be okay.

Cilan stretched and yawned. It had been a long day. He was about to plop down on the other side of Ash, when his common sense tingled. "Would you like me to give you two some privacy?"

Dawn blushed once more and nodded. Cilan just winked at her and headed out into the hall. He heard some commotion coming from down on the lower level. He made his way downstairs to see what was going on...

* * *

><p>Chili and Cress had returned with the Plasma Grunt. He had thawed out by now, and stood before the Champions, completely terrified.<p>

"We found this guy, but Team Rocket looks to have escaped. Or maybe someone came and got them." Chili explained.

Alder cracked his knuckles. "You better tell us everything. We've all had a bad, BAD day."

The Striaton Brothers all exchanged glances. "I think we'll leave you guys to this..." Chili said, nervously.

The three worriedly made their way upstairs.

* * *

><p>"And to my knowledge, Dawn stayed in here with you all night." Cilan said, smiling slyly. Of course, for fun, he had edited out his teasing of Dawn, just not to spoil anything for Ash.<p>

Ash felt himself turn red. "I uh...I woke up last night and saw her. So what happened today?"

Cilan's smile fell. "Well..."

* * *

><p>A knock came at Ash's door. Dawn picked her head up off of Ash's nightstand, and stared at the pile of drool she had left on the nice, wooden piece of furniture. <em>Well that's attractive.<em> She cringed.

Cynthia walked in looking somber. "How...how is Ash?"

Dawn blushed. "I uh...fell asleep."

She looked over at the boy and saw he had rolled onto his side, facing her in his sleep. His hand was actually outstretched towards where her arm had been, but it was on the bed still. Now, you could hardly tell he had gone through anything. He looked just like he would any morning, sleeping peacefully.

"He seems to be doing good." Cynthia said, smiling slightly. "I'm glad."

"You saved him." Dawn said, eyes full of gratitude. "Thank you."

Cynthia looked down to her feet. "Dawn...I let this happen. Yesterday, you saved me. And I thank you for that Dawn. But I can not make this up to you."

"Cynthia, it was noth-" Dawn began, but Cynthia continued.

"I'm the Champion, Dawn. I told myself you kids would not get hurt as long as I was around. But I failed twice. I let my guard down, and you had to save me. And I fell for Team Plasma's diversion, and it cost Ash his life. I failed you. I failed Ash. I do not deserve your thanks." Cynthia said, no emotion in her voice at all.

"Cynthia..." Dawn said, shocked. "You were amazing yesterday. You saved Ash. You found the Team Plasma guys. And you managed to get the one guy back. You held the whole operation together."

"You're too kind Dawn. But I could've done more." Cynthia grimaced.

"I don't really see how Cynthia...you're only human." Dawn replied earnestly, surprised to hear the Champion acting this way.

Cynthia's eyes widened. Dawn looked at her, rather confused. Cynthia just closed her eyes. "Yes...I am. I think...sometimes I forget that."

There was an awkward pause as the two looked away from each other. Finally, Cynthia spoke up again, "Please come downstairs. We would like to discuss something about Team Plasma."

Dawn felt something unlock within her at the mention of Team Plasma. A feeling she had suppressed ever since she had seen Ash's lifeless body.

Anger. Rage. Fury. **Revenge.**

"Okay." She said, trembling somewhat.

Downstairs, Dawn and Cynthia sat down at a meeting table with the other Striaton leaders, Burgh, Lenora, and Alder.

"Morning guys. Shall we begin?" Alder asked.

Everyone at the table exchanged a few nods.

"We got word from Wallace overnight, and received confirmation from the captured Grunt - who, we sent to custody - that Plasma has a base set up in Castelia. We've received word that they are tricking young trainers into some practice battles to help them prepare to challenge Burgh's Gym." Alder began his explanation.

Burgh shook his head in disgust. "Right under my nose this whole time. And I never even guessed."

"Don't be so surprised. We have data showing that Team Plasma has existed for years. They've been laying the groundwork for this plan for some time. Why they've come to light now, we need to find out." Cynthia replied.

"Anyways," Alder continued impatiently, "after these battles, they overpower the trainers into surrendering their Pokemon - all while preaching about liberation, making the trainers feel guilty. Then they don't report it, and some have even convinced their friends to surrender their partners willingly."

Dawn scowled. At first she was in this to support Ash. But now, it was made that much more personal. _We said we'd protect each other. And I couldn't. They won't get away with this._

Cilan shook his head in disgust. "Truly awful. Like sucking the filling out of a pastry."

* * *

><p>"...so, they decided to go in, and storm the base." Cilan explained.<p>

Ash was confused. "But...that doesn't seem like the best plan."

Cilan tapped his nose wisely. "Originally, they were going to get one of the younger League members to pose as a young trainer. But Dawn volunteered herself instead. We were all surprised - we thought she'd want to stay here! After all, she never left your side. But she..."

Cilan paused. He wasn't sure quite how to explain to Ash. Ash leaned forward, expectantly.

"...She said you two were going to protect each other. So she wanted to go and get Pikachu back for you. So, once they get inside, they'll began an attack from the inside." Cilan said gently.

It was all too much for Ash. He once again pulled his knees to his chest and began to sob.

Cilan placed a hand on the young man's shoulder in attempt to comfort him. "I know, what happened to you yesterday is just-"

"No Cilan." Ash stopped, looking up at his friend. "You don't know. Now let me tell you a story." His voice dropped all emotion.

Cilan stopped abruptly, slightly scared.

"Ever since I lost the Unova League, I've felt like a total failure. I failed at the fifth League I've entered. I let all my Pokemon down, who did everything they could for me. But despite all the training, I didn't do enough for them. But Dawn, Dawn was the one who pulled me out of it. Made me realize that I could still be someone. Even though I lost in five League's I had done so much, and I could still be a Pokemon Master. But then that party you couldn't make? Team Plasma bombed it while I was out for a walk with Dawn. They bombed one of my best friend's homes."

Ash took a break from his rant to sob heavily. After a minute of this, he regained his composure, and continued:

"And so, while I was gone, the Kanto Champion Lance died in an effort to make sure I didn't die. He died trying to save me from a situation I wasn't even in. And to drive the point home, he saved my mom's life. But because of Team Plasma, that might not even be for anything! You see, she's in a coma, Cilan. And guess what? They don't know if she'll ever wake up. I got the Champion killed, and possibly my mom killed."

By now, Ash was screaming his narration, voice hoarse from the tears as well.

"And then, Cynthia offers me a chance to prove to everyone - to prove to myself - that I'm no failure. That I can help bring down Team Plasma. So I go along. And Dawn wants to come to, because she's worried for me. This wonderful, amazing girl, who I would never want to see hurt, wants to risk her life to make sure I'm alright. And I promise her that I will be. And guess what? I LET HER DOWN TOO! And to top it all off, the one thing, the ONE CONSTANT I've always had in my life? Pikachu. My best friend. He was stolen. Stolen because he refused to let anything happen to me. Not to mention, my other Pokemon. What would have happened to me if I was at the bottom of the lake? All of my friends, who TRUSTED me in this journey, could've starved to death, because I absolutely failed against Team Plasma."

Cilan stood against the wall, almost blown back by Ash's words. Before he could speak, Ash's voice softened as he once again stared at his knees. "I let everyone down. They left to stop Team Plasma, and I'm stuck here, because out of all of us, I'm the one who got his ass kicked. I'm the one who died. I'm the one who can never get the job done."

Cilan couldn't believe what he was hearing. It didn't make sense.

"Selfless." Cilan said, breathlessly.

Ash looked up at him, confused. "What?"

Cilan laughed a hollow, empty laugh. "You never cease to amaze me, Ash."

Ash just blinked, making it clear he didn't follow Cilan's point.

"All those words. All that anger, and sadness, coming together like a tragically blended smoothie. But never once do you worry about yourself." Cilan explained, "Don't you get it? You died, and you're only thinking about the others. Only concerned with Dawn, Pikachu, Cynthia, your Pokemon..."

Ash processed the words, but he still wasn't sure what Cilan's point was. Luckily, the older trainer continued:

"No one blames you, Ash. You stood toe to toe with three members of Team Plasma, and Team Rocket. No one thinks you failed. The only one who thinks you failed is yourself. The only thing that's been on anyone else's mind is your well-being." Cilan said, smiling sadly.

Ash's legs slid down to his bed once more. "You're right. Everyone wants me to get back in this, and here I am feeling sorry for myself."

"Of course I am, Ash." Cilan said with a cocky grin. "Everyone believes in you. That's why you're here. That's why they want you to be okay. No matter how hard you get knocked down, you always get back up. Team Plasma wants you out of the way. That's why they tried to get rid of you. But you know what? You lived. And what does that mean? _They_ failed. You're already thwarting their plans. You got a second chance to stop them."

Ash's hands curled up into fists. Cilan's words sparked something inside of him. "And I'm going to keep thwarting their plans. I'm getting Pikachu back. I'm keeping my word to Dawn about protecting her too. I'm keeping my word to Cynthia about being a threat."

Cilan smiled. His pep-talk had worked. "And how will you be doing this, Ash?"

Ash grinned, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. "Get me to a computer."

Cilan helped Ash out of the bed, and quickly turned his back as Ash get dressed in his usual gear. He then led Ash downstairs to the medical facilities computer, armed with video phone.

Ash dialed in a number that he had memorized. After a moment of ringing, a familiar face popped on the screen.

"Hey Professor Oak." Ash said, in a fiery, determined voice.

Professor Oak was stunned. "Ash! What - how on earth are you up? I heard what happened yesterday to you and Pikachu, you should -"

"Send me my Snorlax." Ash replied, cutting the professor off.

Oak paused. "Are you sure?"

Ash grinned and nodded. "Yes. Send Snorlax to me! I've got a job for him."

**End Chapter.**


	6. Revenge

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 6: Revenge**

**For those who don't get the description, yes, Dawn's disguise is as the female player character (Hilda) for Black and White. If you're asking, "Why?" My response to you is: _Why not?_**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

* * *

><p><strong>Earlier that morning...<strong>

* * *

><p><em>I know this is supposed to be serious, but no lie, I'm digging the outfit.<em> Dawn thought to herself as she walked the streets of Castelia City. _I wonder if Ash would notice? Nah, he's pretty dense._

Her mind drifted back to her close friend, seeing visuals of him being pulled out of the lake by Cynthia. This pulled her back into her previous state of rage. _Don't worry Ash. They'll pay for what they did to you._

In an effort to make Dawn look like a novice trainer, they again put her in something of a disguise. Instead of her usual dress, she was in a pair of cut off shorts, a white shirt, with a black sleeveless vest over the top of it. They also threw a hat on her similar to the one Ash liked to wear as well.

The plan was easy enough; Team Plasma was operating in a building that looked very professional and legitimate. They were would register trainers on the first floor, take them to an upper floor, battle them, and then upon victory (or even loss), the trainer would be surrounded, preached at by one of the Sages, and strong-armed into surrendering all their Pokemon.

However, Dawn was wearing a tracking device and a wire in her hat. Alder, Cynthia, and Burgh were going to get on top of the roof the building and enter there. Lenora, Cress, and Chili were going to stand guard outside the building. Once they knew Dawn's location, they were going to maneuver an invasion.

The building, by all accounts from intelligence from Wallace, was an operation being held by one of the Seven Sages, and about 20 Plasma Grunts. Considering low-level operatives like Grunts typically were not given full teams of Pokemon, as well as being relatively common or weaker ones, the invasion idea was more than plausible.

Dawn once again had a communicating device. This time, it was attached to the inside of her hat right next to her ear.

"You're almost at the location, Dawn." Came the gruff voice of Alder, "We're on the roof now. Turn right at the next street. It will be to your left. You can't miss it, there's a big sign on the outside that says Plasma Practice Battles or something to that effect. In fact, I think they're having some sort of rally outside the building. Hard to tell from up here."

Dawn followed her instructions, and it did look like there was some sort of gathering. _Well, makes finding the place that much easier._

Dawn approached the crowd to see a Plasma member in the same strange looking robes they had seen the day before. As she walked up to the back of the crowd, she tapped a trainer who was a little shorter than her on the shoulder to get his attention, and asked, "Hey, so what's going on?"

The younger boy turned around and chirped up to her happily, "Oh, that guy from the Plasma Battle place wants to teach us about Pokemon before we go in to battle him. Says we need to learn about the good and evils about Pokemon training."

Dawn nodded and the boy turned away excitedly. _He doesn't even look old enough to have a Pokemon. Poor kid. I hope this plan works._

The man in the strange robes seemed prepared as he cleared his throat into his podium microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said in a calm tone, "My name is Ghetsis. And I want to educate you all on some of the lesser-known problems with Pokemon training."

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you're feeling up this, Ash?" Cilan asked. But not necessarily with worry. If anything, he just wanted to reaffirm the boys position.<p>

Ash adjusted the six Pokeballs on his belt before placing his hat securely atop his mess of black hair. "It feels a little different without Pikachu. But yeah, I'm ready."

He and Cilan walked over to a Town Map that the Gym Leader had spread out across the table. Cilan circled a building. "This is the building that Team Plasma is operating out of. Cynthia, Alder, and I believe Burgh are going to infiltrate the area from the top. You'll probably want to follow suit."

Ash quickly called out his Charizard.

"Feel like taking a ride, buddy?" Ash asked the dragon. Charizard roared in anticipation and gave Ash a confident smirk.

Cilan and Ash showed Charizard the destination. As they did, Nurse Joy came in, insisting that if Ash was going to recklessly charge into a dangerous situation while wounded like some action movie hero, he at least have a healthy breakfast to fuel him.

_Yeah, because every action hero starts his day of explosions and fire by eating Frosted Mareeps cereal and an orange. _Ash thought, but still happy to be munching something as Cilan explained where Charizard needed to go. _...but I do love this cereal. It's so sugary and delicious._

"Ash, are you listening?" Cilan asked, slightly annoyed.

Ash gulped down the last of his food and scratched the back of his head. "Repeat the last part."

Cilan sighed. "Gee, I thought you were serious about this. Then again, I know how you get around food. Anyways, if Cynthia and Alder have already slipped inside, try not to be seen until you can find them. And if anything goes wrong - GET OUT OF THERE!"

Now that Ash was out of his "food mode," he was focused and ready like before. He grinned and pat Charizard on the head. "Right. We got this, huh Charizard?"

Charizard roared triumphantly.

* * *

><p><strong>Earlier this morning...<strong>

* * *

><p>"You see, we're often spoon-fed these nice, happy thoughts about Pokemon being our friends and our partners. That we work together in harmony. But how do we know that for sure? How can we truly know that these Pokemon are happy being coerced into following the commands of their trainers?" Ghetsis said.<p>

_He's a pretty good public speaker, unfortunately. _Dawn thought, looking around. A lot of people in the crowd had gone quiet and were looking around nervously, a sign of doubt. _Oh come on, don't tell me they're all buying it already!_

"How can we be certain that pushing Pokemon around really makes them happy? By plucking them out of nature, and forcing them into various competitions purely to suit our own needs?" Ghetsis continued, "But boys and girls, as you head into practice battle for you big gym match, I just implore you to to think about your relationships with your Pokemon, and consider their happiness. Thank you."

Ghetsis bowed humbly before leaving the stage. As he straightened himself up, Dawn could swear he looked her directly in the eye from across the crowd. It made her blood run cold. But she shook it off quickly, probably just her mind playing tricks on her, and her anger at Team Plasma returned.

_Leave out the part where your cronies knocked out and kidnapped a Pikachu and you killed my Ash. Er, Ash._ She corrected herself in her mind. _You won't get away with it. I won't let you._

A big portion of the crowd began to push and shove their way into the Plasma Battle Building. Dawn hesitated, but almost as if he knew, Alder spoke in her ear, "Take your time. We've got all day, and if those kids get out before this happens, it's all for the better. We can return the Pokemon to them later."

Dawn heeded the warning and patiently waited for the crowd to die down and form a neat line before taking her place at the end.

"Good. Now remember, register for a battle under the name Zelda Masterson. We don't want anyone getting any record of your real name." Alder cautioned.

_Alright. Here we go._

* * *

><p><strong>On the roof of the Plasma Building<br>**

* * *

><p>As Alder gave his instructions to the young coordinator, Cynthia and Burgh were doing a last minute check on the Plasma building for any security measures on the roof.<p>

"They're clearly not planning on staying here for long." Burgh reasoned. "It doesn't look like anyone's ever been up here! The door leading up here hasn't even been touched in ages."

"Good. Makes it that much easier for us." Cynthia said coldly.

"Alright, Dawn has her instructions. How are you feeling about this?" Alder asked the younger Champion, as he stretched out.

"I'm feeling more confident about our chances in this mission. But still nervous about sending Dawn in front by herself. How's your back holding up?" Cynthia responded.

Alder gave her a thumbs-up. "More than manageable. Nothing's slowing me down today. Besides, today's different. They don't have endless amount of forest to escape into. They're all crammed in this one building, not to mention we have reinforcements on the ground."

Cynthia frowned slightly. "Yes, I'm aware. But...sometimes I think we forget, Alder, we're only human. If anything, yesterday proved that."

"You're still worried about Ash, huh?" Alder replied, sharing her saddened expression.

Cynthia nodded. "He's such a sweet kid. He didn't deserve that. I just want to make sure him and Dawn come out of this alive...and with each other. It'd tear them up to lose someone they're so close to."

"Hey, all the more reason to take these sumbitches down faster, right?" Alder replied gruffly.

Cynthia just nodded. "I'll rip them apart for what they did to that boy."

Alder chuckled. "Keep up that tone, it'll sound like you're jealous of Dawn. Didn't know you liked them young."

Cynthia just gave him a very bewildered look. "Shut your mouth before I do it myself."

Burgh, who had been standing off to the side, mentally preparing himself for the mission, couldn't help but stifle some laughter as the conversation derailed his thoughts.

Alder laughed. "Alright, alright...time to get down to business." He glanced down at an electronic device that was monitoring Dawn. "Missions on."

* * *

><p>Dawn registered her name. A female Team Plasma member, who could pass off as a standard, run-of-the-mill secretary, glanced over the name and took a look over at Dawn.<p>

"So, Zelda...you'll be battling on the thirty third floor, in room three." She said. "Good luck."

Dawn put on her best fake, cheesy smile before thanking the woman, but in her mind, she was screaming, _I hope you and everyone of your co-workers get hit by a truck. That I'm driving._

Dawn marched over to the elevator, and realized that the thirty-third floor was the top. "Huh, top floor." She said aloud, tipping off Alder and Cynthia. She took a deep breath and hit the button.

"Hope no one was around, that was a little obvious. Don't answer, by the way." Alder said through her ear.

Dawn clenched her fists as the metal box ascended. _Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm._

As she reached the top floor, she walked out into a rather plain hallway. She looked down both ways to see a few doors scattered down the hall, each marked with a number. Door number three was right in front of her, but it seemed rather eerie. No one else that had registered was sent to the top floor. She walked into her appointed battle area. She was greeted to an empty room, save for one Team Plasma Grunt. There were no lights in the room, save for one bulb in directly over the Grunt, giving off a dim light.

"Are you ready for your battle?" The Grunt asked in a polite manner. It made Dawn want to scream.

"Yes, please." Dawn replied sweetly, "What will the terms be?"

"Three versus three battle, if that's fine with you. You may substitute if need be. I'll send out Trubbish to lead." The Grunt explained.

"Alright. Piplup, I choose you!" Dawn replied in a casual tone, calling out her start Pokemon. Piplup leaped from its Pokeball, eager to start; Dawn had filled all her Pokemon in on what Ash had gone through, and Piplup had been MORE than eager to avenge his buddy Pikachu.

"Alright Trubbish, use Sludge Bomb!" The Plasma Grunt commanded.

"Piplup, spin out of the way and hit it with Hydro Pump!" Dawn replied with her own directions. Having mastered these techniques, the Penguin Pokemon pulled off the spin, moving swiftly out of the way of the poisonous glob, and followed up with the powerful water blast. Trubbish didn't stand a chance, as it flopped back onto it's back, knocked out.

"Awesome kid. Keep it up. Cynthia and I are going in!" Alder stated through her earpiece.

* * *

><p><strong>On the roof...<strong>

* * *

><p>On the roof, Alder, Burgh, and Cynthia were now fully prepared to invade the building. Burgh cautiously lead the way, opening the door to the stairwell. The three quietly made their way down the stairs, and slowly opened the door to the thirty-third floor, trying to make as little noise as possible. Burgh peeked his head around the door well, and saw nothing but an empty hallway.<p>

"All clear, guys." He whispered to them.

The Champions followed Burgh out into the hall. It was a short hallway, but there were about five doors, each had no markings on them.

"Alright, let's find room three..." Cynthia whispered to them.

But life has a funny way with plans: they hardly ever work. A vaguely familiar voice called out to the League Officials from an unseen location.

"Night Shade."

On cue, a forced darkness fell on the Champions and Burgh. They instinctively reached for their Pokeballs - but it was too late.

As soon as it came, the darkness lifted. And the hallway was no longer empty.

Before either of the three could release a Pokemon, they found themselves surrounded with a corridor filled to the brim with Krokoroks, Ammongus', Watchogs, and Liepards. Each poised to attack at the sight of movement. Behind the horde of Pokemon, Plasma Sage Gorm stood with a sickening smile on his face, with several Grunts behind him. Next to Gorm, was a Chandelure, which had been the culprit of the Night Shade attack.

"Wouldn't you say it's a little crowded in here for our conversation? Place your hands in the air, and let's head back up to the roof, shall we?" Gorm said in a cold but polite tone.

Gorm weaved through the Pokemon and quickly removed all Pokeballs from the Champions and the Castelia Gym Leader.

"So, what tipped you off?" Alder asked, casually.

Gorm just smiled and kept his faux-polite tone. "Wouldn't you like to know."

* * *

><p>"Flame Wheel, Quilava!" Dawn commanded. Her Pokemon obeyed, and smashed into the Plasma Grunt's Scraggy, easily defeating it.<p>

"My, my. You're quite skilled!" The Grunt said in a polite tone.

"Well, thanks. They say I have good instinct." Dawn lied in her fake, naive tone. _Alright, so when do they start this whole stealing business?_

"You'll do fine at your gym battle...Dawn." The Grunt said, smirking.

"Thanks, I - wait...uh, what did you call me? That's...not my name." Dawn lied, a lump rising in her throat. _This can't be right._

Lights flickered on in the room, and Dawn gulped nervously. Team Plasma Grunts lined the wall of the room, wearing black outfits so that they had not been seen in the battle. Each one released various Pokemon, and by the time they finished, their looked to be between 30 and 40 other Pokemon in the room.

"We can do this two ways. The way where you come with us peacefully to the roof, or the one where we drag you kicking and screaming after knocking out all of your Pokemon and stealing them." The Grunt she had battled said with a smile on it's face.

_Screw that._

Dawn called out all her Pokemon at once to join Quilava; Buneary, Mamoswine, Piplup, Pachirisu, and Togekiss. "Sorry, but hanging with a certain someone has made me too stubborn for my own good."

Before anyone could answer, she yelled out attacks she had planned for just the situations: "ERUPTION, ICE BEAM, ICE SHARD, WHIRLPOOL, DISCHARGE, AERIAL ACE, GO!"

Cynthia and Alder had prepared Dawn for the scenario that she could be surrounded before they got their. So, Dawn, with their help, they prepared some strategies for dealing with larger groups. For example, Pachirisu managed to leap into the middle of a huddle of Pokemon and hit all of them with Discharge.

Piplup stayed close to Dawn and forced all the advancing attackers back, by washing them away with the Whirlpool attack. Buneary would immobilize as many attackers as possible using it's Ice Beam, and Quilava would cover her by using Eruption only on those who got close, as to not melt the ice.

Togekiss would fly around the room using aerial ace to give cover to her friends and allies. Likewise, after the initial Ice Shard, Mamoswine was ordered by Dawn to charge around the room and utilize Take Down.

It was a good strategy, and the various Grunts hadn't been prepared to deal with it. But, Dawn knew the second that they knew her name, that something had gone wrong with the mission. This was a losing battle, and she was just buying herself time.

She had been relatively successful, by the time all her Pokemon had fainted (Piplup lasting the longest in an effort to protect Dawn), she had whittled the Grunt Pokemon down from roughly forty to five. The five remaining Pokemon, two Krokoroks, a Watchog, a Patrat, and a Foongus, surrounded her. She placed her hands over her head.

"Okay. You got me."She said, sighing, defeated.

"You're lucky I don't hit girls, punk." The original Plasma Grunt she had battled said, causing Dawn to smirk. Of course, it was wiped off her face, when he pointed next to him at a female Grunt and stated, "Of course, she can."

The female Grunt backhanded Dawn, sending her to the floor in shock, and followed it up by kicking her in the side. As the pain and reality set it, Dawn felt her anger subside and be replaced by another primal instinct; fear. For her life. For her Pokemon. For Cynthia and Alder. Fear she might never see her mom again. Fear she may never see Ash again.

They tied her hands behind her back and led her up onto the roof. She became vaguely aware of the taste of blood in her mouth, but it was one of the last things on her mind.

Her fear only grew once they arrived on the roof, when she saw that Cynthia, Alder, and Burgh had been tied up in a similar manner, and had been lined up on their knees. _But...they're the best. The strongest trainers. I don't understand._

She felt tears well up in her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of these people. _I'm sorry Ash. I told myself I was going to avenge you._

Gorm was standing next to them, looking quite pleased with himself. "Would you like to join your friends, little girl? Too bad you aren't on our side, I hear you put up quite a fight."

They threw Dawn in front of the Champions and Burgh, and she scrambled to her knees next to them.

"Real big men, huh? Hitting a ten year old girl?" Alder asked, voice ripe with sarcastic defiance. "Takes some serious Pokeballs to do that, I bet."

Gorm walked up and backhanded him, leaving a mark on his face, similar to the one Dawn had.

"I don't think anyone gave you permission to speak, Unovian Champion." Gorm said, a hint of anger escaping at the redhead's lax attitude.

"Did Ghetsis give YOU permission to beat up a kid? Speaking of which, where is your green-haired, speech-toting leader?" Alder replied smoothly, not even at all bothered by the strike.

Gorm laughed maniacally, prompting the Plasma Grunts to laugh as well. "Do you really think he would stick around, knowing you fools were going to show up? He left thirty-five minutes ago."

"Of course." Cynthia mumbled to herself.

"Oh, and your ground reinforcements? Well, the Striaton Brothers got away, but Lenora should be up anytime - oh, speak of the devil!" Gorm gloated with glee.

The Shadow Triad appeared from thin air, with Lenora tied up in a similar manner to Cynthia, Alder, Burgh and Dawn. They casually shoved her to the ground near the others.

Gorm looked over at his bounty and couldn't help himself from laughing once more. "I must say, you're all facing your death much more bravely than that pathetic little runt I had the pleasure of drowning yesterday."

Dawn glared at him angrily, but in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but feel somewhat confused. _They were tipped off on our plan, but not that Ash was alive? Who would do that?_

"Grunts?" Gorm asked over his shoulder.

A team of Grunts released a pack of Liepards from their Pokeballs. The Liepards all hissed and growled angrily. Gorm pointed them towards his prisoners. They began to close in on the group, just itching for the attack command.

"Which one of you wants to go first?" Gorm asked.

"Don't be such a prick. You know I'm going to say me first. It's one of those honorable things the regional Champion does." Alder said, angrily.

Gorm chuckled. "Honor before reason? How like you. Very well...are you ready to die?"

Dawn's lip quivered in fear. _It can't end like this..._

* * *

><p>But Gorm and Team Plasma didn't have all the details, as Dawn had realized. They didn't realize they were completely out of the scope of vision. They weren't as untouchable as they wanted to believe.<p>

No, no one in Team Plasma was aware that on an adjacent, slightly taller building, Ash Ketchum had been watching the scene through a pair of binoculars, with all six of his Pokemon out. They had no earthly idea that he had begun formulating a plan with them the moment he saw Dawn be dragged up onto the roof.

In fact, a few moments before Gorm had asked Alder this question, Ash had asked Charizard, Snorlax, Palpitoad, Sepctile, Staraptor, and Krokorok one himself.

* * *

><p><strong>...A few minutes earlier.<strong>

* * *

><p>"Alright, are we all clear on the plan?" Ash asked his team. All his Pokemon nodded, so he continued, "Okay, I'm returning all of you except Charizard. He'll fly me in."<p>

Ash returned them all quickly hopped on to Charizard's back.

"Let's go see how all that training's treated you." He said to Charizard, patting him on the head, and they took off.

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

* * *

><p>"All Liepards, use Night Slash." Gorm said, unable to contain his happiness at the prospect of blood.<p>

"Smokescreen." Came a calm voice from overheard.

As the Liepards lunged, a cover of black smoke covered the roof of the building. Everyone began coughing. Then as soon as it came, a strong gust of wind came by the roof, blowing it away.

In all the confusion, the Liepards still had attempted their attack on Alder, but there was a complication. A large complication.

A large, _blubbery _complication. You see, all the Liepards had crashed into the front of a Snorax, and despite their attack, bounced off of the giant Pokemon, and crashed in a pile at his feet.

"Body Slam!" Came a voice from behind the Snorlax.

The Snorlax grunted with a, "SNOR!" and did as commanded, jumped into the air, and splashed on top of the pile of Liepards, crushing them and simultaneous knocking them all out.

As Snorlax rolled to the side, Gorm screamed in anger.

Ash Ketchum was standing behind Snorlax the whole time, right in front of Dawn and the League Officials.

_No way...how does this kid do it? _Cynthia thought.

_Note to self: Tell Cynthia bringing him was a good idea._ Alder thought

_This is a dream. Clearly I died and this is my dying dream._ Burgh thought.

_This is like something out of an action movie or something!_ Lenora thought excitedly.

Dawn stared in amazement. _Ash...you...I knew you could do anything._

"YOU! YOU...BOY! I...I KILLED YOU!" Gorm yelled, between a flurry of nothing angry gibberish.

"Yeah, well, you sucked at it." Ash said angrily. He grabbed the brim of his hat, and turned it backwards. _I hope this plan goes better than my lame comebacks._

"GET THE DAMN BOY!" Gorm yelled.

The Plasma Grunts released the rest of their Pokemon; a flurry of Trubbish, Garbodore, Amoongus, Krokorok, Scrafty, Scraggy, Patrots, and a few Yamasks. They all began rushing towards Ash, but paused as they heard a roar from behind him.

Charizard flew up from the side of the building, and hovered above Ash in the sky.

"Flamethrower as many as you can." Ash yelled, without even looking up; he knew his friend was right where they had discussed.

Charizard reared his head back, and unleashed a mass of fire from his mouth, engulfing roughly fifteen Pokemon who had gotten close to Ash, knocking ten of them out and leaving the other five with burns.

Of course, this was also a distraction from Staraptor, who had flown up the side of the building opposite of Charizard. While everyone was watching the Dragon, Staraptor was hitting a few Grunts with Aerial Ace, making sure they wouldn't be sending in any more Pokemon.

Palpitoad had been riding on Staraptor's back. It had leaped off by the door to the inside of the building, and used Mud Bomb on the door, sealing it shut from the sticky substance, effectively trapping everyone on the roof, and preventing reinforcements.

The remaining Plasma Pokemon looked around, in utter confusion. They were now effectively clustered together, awaiting some sort of command on how to deal with the mass chaos.

Except one of them. Suspiciously enough, it was a Krokorok. That was wearing some pretty cool sunglasses. Having played along with with the facade, it went over to Gorm and pretended to protect him, and yelled "Krok!" Telling the other Pokemon that he was covering the Sage.

They all fell for it, and watched as Plasma Grunts scattered, trying to dodge Staraptor and Charizard, who was now targeting other Plasma Pokemon and Grunts alike with Flamethrower.

Ash grinned. _Too perfect. _"Krokorok, use Crunch!"

Krokorok turned around and grinned at Gorm. Gorm's face immediately fell. "Oh...shi-"

Krokorok crunched down on Gorm's left arm and dug its teeth in, ushering a scream from the Sage. The pain was so intense, Gorm didn't even realize that Krokorok grabbed all the stolen Pokemon belts. As quickly as it had attacked Krokorok hopped back and threw all the belts up in the air, and they were promptly caught by Charizard. Charizard, as according to plan, flew above Ash and dropped them to his trainer, who caught them.

The Shadow Triad, however, were not three people who were showed up often. They had vanished in the Smokescreen, and the three chose that opportunity to teleport up close to Ash. In a familiar scene, member in the Panpour mask appeared behind Ash and held a knife to his throat, causing all Pokemon activity to stop. Snorlax, who was next to Ash grunted angrily, but knew enough to not make any movements.

"Any last words?" The man in the Panpour mask asked, angrily.

"Just that one good blade deserves another. Right Sceptile?"

Sceptile, Ash's fastest Pokemon, had effectively been doing nothing. It had stood at the ledge of the building off to Ash's side. It's amazing how someone can hide in plain sight amidst the cover of utter chaos. At Ash's cue, Sceptile proved to be faster than the Shadow Triad, and hit a Leaf Blade attack on the member of the Shadow Triad in the Panpour mask, knocking him away from Ash, knocked out and bleeding.

Instinctively, Snorlax did what it did best: it fell forward onto the other two members of the Shadow Triad, trapping them. And then he promptly fell asleep.

With no one to interrupt him, Ash ran back to his friends, untied them as fast as his hands could go, and handed them all their Pokemon.

And oh, how the tides can turn. Suddenly, Ash's six Pokemon were joined by Dawn's Pokemon, who had recovered enough from earlier to join the fight, an angered Garchomp, a Bouffalant, and a barrage of other Pokemon from Burgh and Lenora.

Krokorok taunted a group of foe Sandile's and Krokorok's, getting them to approach him. But then Palpitoad hopped up onto Krokorok's head and unleashed a huge Surf attack, hitting all the Sand Crocodile Pokemon, sending them all reeling.

Garchomp circled the roof of the building with Charizard. Charizard used Flamethrower to mow down the rest of the Amoongus. Garchomp used Hyper Beam to take out all the Grunts.

As Gorm's plan fell apart around him, at the piles of fainted Plasma Grunts and Pokemon growing around him, he dropped to his knees, screaming in frustration.

When he looked up, he was surrounded by five of Ash's Pokemon, Snorlax still keeping two of the Shadow Triad members trapped under his sleeping weight. All five of them looked down on the man with malice in their eyes; they all knew what this scumbag had done to their friend. All of them were just itching to finish what Krokorok had started earlier.

Gorm stood up and slowly began backing up, holding his hands up and pleading with the Pokemon not to hurt him. He backed into a figure and quickly jumped around to find him face to face with Ash.

"Let's talk about this, boy..." Gorm said, fear leaking out of his voice.

"Where's Pikachu?" Ash asked, seething.

"With...our King." Gorm replied, hesitantly.

Ash just stared him in the eye. "You killed me. And that was the wrong answer."

Ash then grabbed the man's shoulders and rammed his knee into the Sage's groin as hard as he could, causing the man to drop to the ground. His Pokemon backed off, all smiling, as Cynthia came over to handcuff the man.

"Wallace...mission went better than expected." Cynthia spoke into her radio. "We have apprehended a sage. We'll need some help to get these guys transported to the detainment facility."

"What happened? I lost communication with you guys for a minute there." Wallace replied to her.

Cynthia just looked at Ash and smiled her first real smile in days. "A change in plans. I'll explain later."

For the first time, Ash let out a deep sigh of relief. _I can't believe that actually worked._

"Ash..."

Ash turned around and saw Dawn staring at him with a weird look on her face. He just noticed the swelling on her lip. "Dawn, your lip...are you okay?"

Dawn didn't say anything. She just ran up to the young man and threw her arms around him, and held onto him tightly. Ash looked over to his Pokemon in confusion. They all just returned his bewildered look. His eyes drifted over to Alder and Cynthia. Alder chuckled and shook his head. Cynthia winked at him and made a motion for him to hug her back.

"Dawn...are you okay?" He said, confused, but reciprocated the hug.

She didn't say anything, but Ash felt her nod into his chest. "Good...I'm glad." He said into her hair.

She didn't want him to see, but she was holding her tears in against his chest. She wasn't even sure why she felt like crying; she was just overcome with joy at the turn of events.

"Ugh...guys. We have a bit of a problem." Burgh said from the side of the building.

While Cynthia and had apprehended Gorm, Alder managed to drag the two members of the Shadow Triad from under Snorlax and tie them up (hoping that this would keep them contained). Lenora had done the same to the member of the Shadow Triad in the Panpour mask.

However, curiosity had gotten better of the Gym Leader; he had pulled the mask of of the Shadow Triad member who had been wearing the Pansage mask.

Ash, Dawn, Cynthia, Alder, and Lenora looked over. They all gasped in shock at what they saw.

Alder turned away and muttered under his breath. "...damnit."

The member of the Shadow Triad in the Pansage mask was revealed to them all.

It was Cilan.

* * *

><p>Miles away from there, in weird room, Ash's Pikachu woke up, confused.<p>

He looked around. He appeared to be in a little kids room, but it must have been a rich kid. The room had a half-pipe, a basketball court, and a mountain of stuffed animals. Pikachu sniffed around, smelling the scent of other Pokemon around. But it appeared to be empty. Pikachu saw a door in the other side of the room. He dashed towards it, but froze as the door began to open.

Pikachu was very surprised to a green-haired teenage boy walk in, and the boy returned his surprised expression. Even weird, Pikachu could swear he'd seen the boy before...

"Oh." Said the teenager, sounding pleasantly surprised. "Hello there. My name is N. Would you like to be my friend?"

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter. <strong>


	7. Reasoning

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 7: Reasoning**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

><p>The ride back to the medical facility outside of Castelia was quiet. No one really knew what to say or how to feel. The relative happiness and excitement from Ash's timely arrival had all but been reversed at the revelation of who the Shadow Triad was.<p>

Once they saw Cilan was a member, the other two thirds of the Shadow Triad were unmasked as well, confirming what they all feared; Cress and Chili were the other two members.

_How long? _Was all Ash kept thinking in his mind, _How long was I traveling with someone who was a high profile criminal? I trusted him._

A few other questions ran through Ash's mind as well, _Why didn't they tell Gorm I was alive? Why would they tip off Gorm about Cynthia's plans, but then not say why I was coming to help?_

Using the transportation Pidgeots and Garchomp, Cynthia and Alder were able to transport the Shadow Triad and Gorm.

Dawn was riding with Ash on the back of his Charizard instead. One, because she was worried about him after the reveal that one of his friends belonged to the group that tried to kill him. Two, because, well, it was a good excuse for her to be able to hold on to the back of him, which she guiltily admitted to herself she enjoyed doing.

_Guy comes in and saves the day, only to find out one of his friends is a traitor. I wish you could catch a break, Ash._ She thought glumly, subconsciously giving him a supportive squeeze around the waist. This caused Ash to flinch slightly from the the bruises he had, but it still felt comforting in a way.

He looked back at her and smiled a bit. "How's your lip?"

"To be honest, with everything going on, I didn't realize it was even swollen." She replied with a small smile of her own.

"So you don't want me to kiss it and make it feel better?" Ash replied jokingly. Of course, then he realized what he was implying and turned a deep shade of red. "Er, wait, that uh...didn't..."

Dawn turned roughly the same shade of red and began stuttering as well, "That uh, well..."

"M-my bad." Ash got out, turning around to hide his embarrassment. _Pull off miraculous rescue mission? Yeah sure. Talk to Dawn without making an idiot of myself? No, of course not, that would make sense. And those shorts she's wearing...gah...this must be puberty setting in. Okay Ash, focus. Cilan is a bad guy. We captured that sage. Things are happening. Focus._

Dawn just smiled at his back. _Does he want to kiss to me? Was that...? Okay, wow, come on Dawn, now's really not the time for this. Still, holy Miltank, he wants to kiss me! NO! FOCUS! Gah...stupid boy with his dramatic rescue and...making me swoon and stuff._

They arrived at the medical facility in the early evening to find Wallace there, waiting for them behind the building. As Ash hopped off his Charizard and asked, incredulously, "Wallace, how did you get here so quickly?"

Wallace just grinned. "Top secret League information Ash. I'm afraid I can't disclose that to you, as it isn't related to the mission at hand."

Ash looked disappointed. He glanced off to Cynthia and Alder hopefully, but they just nodded in agreement. Dawn giggled at his reaction. Not satisfied with this answer, Ash began firing off guesses: "Underground bullet trains?"

"No." Wallace answered stoically.

"Camouflage helicopter?"

"No."

"Secret human teleportation device?"

"No. And stop guessing." Wallace replied, slightly annoyed.

"Fine." Ash grumbled, crossing his arms.

The group headed back inside the medical building. Cynthia turned to the younger trainers and told them sternly, "We're going to need to question these three...and I'd rather you guys weren't present to see it. It's been a long day. Go see if Nurse Joy can prepare you something to eat, and get some rest. We'll need to figure out our next moves based on whatever information we can get out of these guys."

Ash and Dawn looked at each other uneasily. "Can't I talk to Cilan at least?" Ash asked somewhat sadly, "He was the one who gave me the pep-talk to go after you guys today. And for some reason, he didn't even warn anyone."

Cynthia's eyes widened and she exchanged a look with Alder, who looked perplexed at the information as well. She turned back to Ash and whispered, "He did?"

Ash nodded. "He mapped out where you guys said you were going and everything. I just want to know why he would help me after his brothers tried to kill me or if they're part of Team Plasma."

Cynthia bit her lip. "Ash...our interrogation techniques aren't exactly...child friendly. I don't want you to see it. If you catch my meaning."

Ash, unfortunately, understood, and looked down to his feet. "Oh."

"But I'm glad you told us that...it changes a few things. Just try not to think about it." Alder added hastily. "We'll update you two in the morning."

Dawn pat Ash on the back and the two walked off. As they did, Alder turned to Cynthia. "You ready? They should be coming around soon, and Burgh got them into separate rooms for interrogating."

Cynthia sighed and nodded. "It's going to be a long night."

Dawn and Ash sat across from each other at a table, eating some spaghetti that Nurse Joy had prepared for everyone. Normally a tornado of food-wrecking proportions, Ash was staring down at his plate, eating slowly.

"You're worried about Pikachu, aren't you?" Dawn asked, softly.

_It's like she can see right through me._ Ash marveled to himself, before looking up and nodding. "I just...what are they doing to him? Pikachu has thrown himself in harms way for me so many times and he always ends up okay in the end. But I'm just...what if he doesn't this time?" He twirled his spaghetti around his fork absentmindedly.

Dawn got up and moved herself over to the chair next to Ash. She placed an arm around his shoulders before saying, "I was thinking the same thing when we couldn't find you in the woods... that you weren't going to be okay. And today you saved all our lives. You showed up on Charizard, enacted a ridiculously awesome plan, and saved all our lives. Considering how much like you Pikachu is, I don't think you need to worry."

Ash smiled sadly at her and blushed. "I know, I know...but I'm still going to worry until I get him back." He paused and scratched the back of his head. "...was it really that awesome?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "I think so."

"Still...I want to know why Cilan would help me after all that. I mean, Cress tried to kill me, and then Cilan's sending me after you guys, and to top it off, doesn't even warn Team Plasma." Ash pondered aloud to his blue-haired friend.

"I don't know." Dawn answered, shrugging, "It's weird though, huh? Cynthia said Plasma's been around for a long time...years apparently, and you were just traveling with that guy a few months ago."

"Don't remind me." Ash replied, removing his hat and running his hands through his hair, "It just makes me feel even more confused. I wish I knew what to do."

Suddenly, Dawn leaned forward and sniffed his hair. "I know what you should do."

"Yeah, what's that?" Ash asked, amused.

"Take a shower! You smell like sweat and dirty lake water." Dawn replied, playfully punching him in the arm.

Ash pretended to be hurt. "Oh, some thanks I get for playing hero today. I'm going to go take a shower, which will hopefully hide all my tears from the terrible things you to say to me. Meanie."

Dawn laughed as Ash got up to go clean himself off. Before he left the small cafeteria area, she called out to him. He turned around and answered with, "Yeah?"

Dawn walked up to him, stood on her toes, and kissed him on the cheek. "For real though, thanks for everything today. I think you really are a hero. My hero, at least."

Ash felt like his face was on fire as he stuttered out a quick, "Th-thanks," and turned to walk away to take a shower.

Dawn's face was just as red as she turned around. It got worse when she realized Lenora had been eating in the same room the whole time. She was just sitting off at the back at another table and Dawn though, _she must have snuck in while we were talking_. She stared at Dawn with a rather amused expression.

"I'm sorry," she said, laughing slightly, "but you two are just adorable. I didn't want to interrupt anything."

Dawn looked to the side, mumbled an excuse about being sweaty as well, and quickly shuffled away in embarrassment.

* * *

><p>Ash awoke next morning to the sound of Pidove's outside this window. He rolled over, sat up, and rubbed his eyes.<p>

"G'morning Pikachu." He said, like he did every morning, before he noticed he was alone. _Oh...right._

He glanced at the clock next to him and noticed it was almost noon. _Holy Miltanks, they let us sleep in?_

Ash yawned, threw on his clothes, and made his way downstairs to see Dawn in the cafeteria munching on some pancakes on the couch. He noticed she was once again in her usual outfit as well. At the sight of two of his favorite things together (Dawn and food, of course), he quickly joined her, plopping down on the couch next to her with a comically tall stack of pancakes.

Dawn gave Ash's pancakes a skeptical look, but only said, "I'm not surprised by this. I'm more surprised that you don't have gallons of syrup to go with it."

Ash shrugged. "I don't like a ton of syrup, what can I say. So, why are they letting us sleep in today?"

Dawn returned his shrug with one of her one. "I think they've been interrogating Team Plasma all night. Nurse Joy said they never left that room, but can hear them talking."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Really? Don't Cynthia, Wallace, or Alder ever sleep?"

Dawn smiled. "Who knows? Maybe they took turns keep guarding or talking, and the other one slept? But I slept great."

Ash nodded as he scarfed down his pancakes, and said something that was completely unintelligible.

Dawn blinked at him in confusion. "Can you repeat that without the food in your mouth?"

Ash blushed, swallowed his food, and said, "Er, sorry. I slept great too."

"Well, just stop talking with your mouthful." Dawn replied with a smirk.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Gee, sorry mom. Are you going to ground me?"

Dawn responded with her own eye-roll. "No, I'll just give you a spanking instead."

Ash nearly choked on his pancakes. "W-what?"

Dawn blushed furiously as she realized what she had said. _Open mouth, insert foot._ "Th-that didn't come out right."

Luckily for them, Wallace walked into the room to speak with them, saving them the embarrassment of having to salvage the conversation.

"Hey there, you two. Just thought you guys would like an update." He said, grinning.

Eager to be saved from adolescent awkwardness, both turned around and nodded at Hoenn's Champion.

"Well, while you two were resting up, myself, Cynthia, Alder, Burgh, and Lenora took turns interrogating the Sage, and all three Striaton brothers. It wasn't until very early this morning that we got all the information we needed or could use out of them. Burgh and Lenora used our secret transportation methods - no Ash, I'm not telling you what they are - to take Gorm, Cress, and Chili into custody, and then we permitted them to return to their duties as gym leader." Wallace explained.

"So...what about Cilan?" Ash asked, confused as to why he was left out.

"Cilan was willing to cooperate with us. Indeed, he disclosed a lot of information to us, which allowed us to...well, get some even more useful information out of the Sage." Wallace told the two.

"So, he's still here?" Dawn asked.

Wallace nodded. "We still have him detained, and placed an ankle monitor on him as a security measure. He said he wanted to explain to Ash here the circumstances of why he and his brothers were working for Team Plasma. It was a long night so we gave him a cot to rest on. Cynthia and Alder are also catching up on some sleep now too."

"So they DO sleep!" Ash concluded, excitedly.

Dawn laughed and shook her head. Wallace just smirked, albeit confused, and asked, "What?"

Ash shook his head. "Nothing. So...what do we do until they're awake."

Wallace frowned. "I'm sorry to say, you're going to have to hang around here for awhile. After yesterday's event, Team Plasma's controversial nature is becoming public knowledge. Going out into public by yourself could be a very bad idea. We don't know if they're still in the area, and if they're willing to strike in broad daylight yet. Not that you kids can't take care of yourselves or anything, but for security purposes, it's best to lay low for a bit."

Dawn and Ash nodded in understanding, but were a little bummed out; Ash had wanted to show Dawn around the city, and was hoping to surprise her with it as well.

Wallace yawned and stretched. "Trust me, I can't wait for them to wake up either, than I can get some sleep. I've been up since four this morning."

* * *

><p>Pikachu watched the older boy play with a rather elaborate looking train set. It was rather confusing for him. N, or at least, that's what he called himself, glanced over at Pikachu and smiled.<p>

"You don't have to be so nervous," N said, speaking rather quickly, but kindly, "I won't hurt you. Is something the matter?"

Pikachu nodded. This prompted N to drop the controller for his toy train and walk over to Pikachu. "You can tell me. I've listened to a lot of Pokemon that have been hurt or confined over the years. I like to think all Pokemon are my friends."

Pikachu was hesitant, but began speaking, "Pi, Pikachu pi pika cha chu pi."

N nodded. Now, he was quite good an interpreting Pokemon language, but it wasn't a perfect language for humans to try and translate. He had a pretty good grip of what Pikachu was saying, but he had never spoken to a Kanto Pokemon before either.

"I think I see what you're driving at." N said, "You were separated from your friend, weren't you?"

Pikachu nodded sadly. "Pika...cha..."

N frowned. "That's very sad. I see it happen a lot. A lot of Pokemon they bring here were forced away from their friends and families, and made to do things they didn't want. I don't like to see that happening. I think all Pokemon should be happy, right?"

Pikachu smiled and nodded. "Pi. Chu, pika pi!"

N smiled. "Well, once I become Champion, I'm going to make sure all Pokemon are returned where they belong."

Pikachu recognized N now. He was the trainer Ash had faced in the Unova League Finals. _He must be being held here against his will too. It's good that he hasn't lost his will to fight back, even if he is a bit...odd._ The Pokemon thought. _Why on earth are they giving him toys though?_

"I can't stand Pokemon being hurt and subject to abuse. It absolutely sickens me. This world...so rife with distress. You needn't worry anymore, little friend, I won't let anyone hurt you." N told the Pokemon, patting it on the head.

* * *

><p>A few hours had passed, and Cynthia and Alder had woken up. After feeding all their Pokemon and getting prepared, they were now sitting with Ash and Dawn, ready to explain more about the situation with Cilan, the Shadow Triad, and Team Plasma.<p>

"So, Cilan has agreed to remain on hand in our custody temporarily to fill us in on what he knows for Team Plasma's next move. Then, he has agreed to go back to Wallace at the League and aid us with our investigation. After this is all over, we will look at all his cooperation and see if we can reduce the charges against him for aiding with an organization such as Team Plasma." Cynthia explained.

Dawn and Ash nodded, but there was a uneasy look on Ash's face that Alder picked up on.

"I know this is probably tough for you, Ash." Alder said, "But Cilan agreed to explain everything to you, if you're willing to hear him out. Afterwards, we'll get filled in on what we need to do next."

Ash looked down at the table and thought. Under the table, Dawn reached over and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. He smiled at her, then looked back up at the Champions. "I'll do it. I need to know why he did this. I'm just worried on what the answer is…"

"It's always better to know an ugly truth than stay in the dark." Cynthia replied, giving Ash a kind smile.

"I dunno, they say ignorance is bliss." Alder replied cockily, leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head.

"No wonder you're so happy all the time." Cynthia snapped back at him.

Dawn and Ash both laughed. "You want a Burn Heal for that one?" Dawn asked, prompting Ash to laugh a bit more.

Alder just rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "…just go talk to Cilan."

* * *

><p>Ash walked into the dimly lit room in the basement of the building. <em>Weird how a medical facility for the league has prison cell rooms.<em> Ash thought, _They must have to be prepared for anything._

In order to be secure, Cynthia, Alder, and Dawn were watching behind a one-way mirror.

The room only had a cot, and a table with two chairs that were across from each other. Cilan was sitting in the chair facing the door, waiting for Ash. When he saw the young trainer come in through the door, he gave Ash a sad smile. "Ah, hey there Ash..."

The two sat there for a long time, not wanting to look at each other. Eventually, it got to awkward for Ash, and he looked up and finally asked, "Cilan...why were you guys in Team Plasma?"

Cilan sighed. "It's...confession time."

"Back when me and my brothers were all young...younger than you, our parents, who at the time were the current Gym Leaders of Striaton, died when the gym burned down. So, we were on our own, and unfortunately, it looked like we were going to be split up to head into foster care. Obviously, we wanted to stay together...especially considering what happened to us." Cilan began.

"Well, at the last possible day, a man named Ghetsis - yes that Sage from Team Plasma - came in, and adopted all of us. He paid to have the gym restored to its previous condition. He stayed there for a long time, training us to be good trainers so we could take over the gym for our parents. He also trained us how to...well...take care of ourselves if we had to." Cilan explained.

"So that's where all your crazy ninja skills come from?" Ash asked.

Cilan let out a small chuckle. "Well, the kicking and stuff. But the appearing out of nowhere is just a lot of fancy technology Ghetsis made for us. He took care of us in our time of need. And when he did, all he asked is that we swear loyalty to him. At the time, as little kids, it seemed like the perfect deal: we got to go back home, we got to train Pokemon, continue our parents legacy, and hey, we got to be ninjas. It was pretty cool."

"Then we got a little older..." Cilan explained. "He started making us do things...stealing, small things like that...nothing we were proud of. We tried to tell him we didn't like that, but he threatened to take the gym away from us. At first we weren't sure how he could pull that on us, but he stormed in one night, and took out all of us in a Pokemon battle at the same time. Said if we ever went against him again, it wouldn't be just our Pokemon."

"So obey him or die, huh?" Ash responded sadly.

Cilan sighed. "It wasn't that simple. It was that and an incredible feeling of guilt; he had taken care of us for years when our parents died. We really did owe him our lives. It just didn't seem like we had any other choice. But after awhile, he sort of left us alone. We figured he was finally letting us stop doing his dirty work. We finally felt free to prepare our own recipes for our lives."

"And then..." Cilan said, but couldn't find the words to continue.

Ash looked at him, confused, "What?"

"It wasn't long after you had finished in the Unova League. Ghetsis showed up at the gym. Said we were going to help him in a project for the good of all Pokemon. He explained to us what Team Plasma was, and their goals to liberate all Pokemon, in order to make them happy. Now...we didn't necessarily agree with these goals; we see a lot of different kinds of trainers all the time, good and bad. But of course, we didn't have much of a choice...we all still feared Ghetsis, the way a Rattata fears becoming a Persian's appetizer." Cilan said.

Cilan's words were becoming shaky and unsure, and it was clear he was growing more nervous by talking this out to the younger boy.

"Why...why are you so nervous?" Ash asked. Cilan was always so calm and collected. Seeing him like this just made Ash feel rather uncomfortable.

Cilan continued as though he hadn't heard Ash. "He...he had us a play a hand in all the abducting or sabotaging of the trainers he viewed as threats to his plan. But we weren't happy about it!"

Something clicked in Ash's mind. "So...that means...you?"

Ash trembled angrily. _No...Cilan couldn't._

Cilan put his elbows on the table and cradled his head in his hands. "Yes Ash. Ghetsis ordered us to rig the Pewter City Gym with explosives. That's why I couldn't make the party."

Cilan began crying. "I'm why Lance is dead. I'm why your mom is in a coma, Ash. My brothers and I are the foul ingredient that plagued you."

Cilan was expecting a scream, a punch, something. But he looked up to see Ash still sitting adjacent from him, hiding his eyes behind the brim of his hat, shaking violently.

Unsure of what to do, Cilan continued to confess the details of his crimes to Ash. "And then...two days ago, Ghetsis got word that there was going to be interference in the job at Nacrene Gym. He wanted us to keep tabs on the operations of the League and report to him. We knew the Champions were going to be involved, when Alder came to notify us...but then of course, we saw you and your friend Dawn...And then, I found out what they did to you. Cress and I fought; neither of us liked what we were ordered to do. I convinced my brothers to rush over here, because I didn't want anything to have happened to...my friend...although I have no right to call you that now."

Cilan was again met with silence from the young man. So, he pressed on, "I felt terrible with everything I had to put you through, Ash. You're one of the best friends I've ever made. We were all conflicted since Ghetsis began ordering us to put lives in danger...the forest fire, the gym, you. But we couldn't think of what to do. But then...I was there when you woke up."

Cilan was able to stop crying, and paused before finishing his exposition. "After everything you had gone through...with your mom, drowning...you weren't worried about yourself. You never stopped thinking about others. It made me realize how much of a coward I had been. We...my brothers and I, were only worried about ourselves, and we made others suffer because we couldn't stand up for ourselves. But you? You were the opposite, Ash. You were cake when we were pie. Team Plasma ruined your life within two weeks, and you've been fighting for everyone you love ever since. And it made me hate myself. I couldn't do it anymore. So I didn't tell Team Plasma you were coming. I wanted you to win."

Cilan gulped, before finally uttering, "Ash, I know you can never forgive me. But I want you to know I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not as strong as you. I'm so sorry...for all of this."

Ash never looked up at the Gym Leader. He stood up, still hiding behind his hat. He struggled to hold in his tears as he spoke, "No. I don't forgive you. And if my mom dies, you're dead to me."

Ash left the room, slamming the door behind him. He stormed past the Champions and Dawn, saying absolutely nothing. Dawn tried to grab his shoulder to talk to him, but he quickly swatted her hand away and hissed, "Leave me alone," before making his exit.

Cynthia grabbed Dawn's shoulder and gently whispered, "Let him go. He needs some space," to the girl.

Dawn dropped her hand and stared after the boy sadly. _Yeah...I really wish you could catch a break, Ash._

* * *

><p>Ash had gone out of the back entrance to the building and stared at the trees surrounding the rear of the medical center. Not knowing how else to deal with what he had just been told, he began punching and pounding against the various trees, sobbing angrily.<p>

_I trusted him. _THUD!

_He was my friend._ THUD!

_My FRIEND killed Lance._ THUD!

_My "friend" may have even killed my mom. _THUD!

This continued for a long time, until Ash's hands were raw and scraped from being pounded against the tree bark, and Ash's throat burned from crying. He finally dropped to his knees and buried his face in his palms. _How could he do such a thing?_

Ash went back inside, and went back up to his room without speaking to anyone. He threw himself down onto the bed, and stared up at the ceiling, feeling unable to process anything. Later that night, Dawn knocked on his door. Getting no answer, she let herself in.

"Hey Ash...do you want to talk about it?" She asked softly.

"That's honestly the last thing I feel like doing." He said, no emotion in his voice.

"Oh...sorry." Dawn replied. _I should have figured as much. What do you really even say to finding out one of your friends is partially responsible for your life falling apart within a two week period?_

"I'll give you some space." Dawn said sadly, getting up and preparing to leave.

"Wait." He said, quietly. But Dawn heard and paused.

"Can you...can you just stay in here with me for a little while?" Ash replied.

Dawn smiled inwardly. "Sure...don't feel like being alone?"

Ash nodded, not taking his eyes off the ceiling. "Yeah...sorry, I know I'm no fun right now."

Dawn flicked his arm. "Dummy, you think I blame you right now? I'll sit with you, no need to worry."

"...thanks Dawn." He said, barely audible.

And so, they say like that for awhile, in a relatively comfortable was starting to get late though, and Dawn couldn't help but let a yawn slip out.

Ash gave her a half-hearted smile. "I'm being selfish. You can go to bed, I won't keep you."

Dawn just smiled at him. "It's nothing Ash. But thanks, I am kinda beat."

"Before you go..." Ash began before Dawn had a chance to stand up, making her pause. He, for the first time that night, turned to look her in the eyes. "Dawn...I can trust you, right?"

Dawn was a bit surprised by the question, but continued to smile at Ash as she met his gaze. "Always Ash. Always."

Ash sat up and gave her a small hug. "Thank you." He whispered to her.

Dawn gently returned the embrace and simply answered, "You're welcome Ash. No need to worry."

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, N and Pikachu had been playing basketball in the childish room. Pikachu still felt a little odd about the young man, but N seemed to be nice enough, which was jarring considering they both seemed to be prisoners of Team Plasma.<p>

Suddenly, after missing a shot, N yawned loudly. "Oh man, I'm sort of tired. I think I'm going to get dressed and get some sleep."

N stumbled off into a bathroom at the back of the room. Pikachu felt sort of confused. _Is this his room? He looks way too old for all this stuff...and why is Team Plasma treating him so nicely?_

Pikachu gave N a suspicious look as the young man emerged from the bathroom in some rather childish looking pajamas with Pokeballs all over them. N walked over to a large pile of Pokemon stuffed animals, and pushes them all to the side, revealing a bed.

_This really IS his room. _Pikachu thought, bewildered.

As N crawled into his bed, he looked over at the Electric Mouse. "Hey little guy, you can always sleep at the end of the bed if you like. Probably much more comfortable up there. But whatever makes you happy, friend."

The green-haired teenager rolled over and proceeded to fall asleep. _What's going on with this guy? If he's being held here, why does he have all this stuff? And why is he so happy?_

Cautiously, Pikachu hopped up onto the food of the bed, curled up, and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Ash was uneasily woken by Alder at roughly seven in the morning.<p>

"Sorry kid," Alder said, barging in on the boys room, "wish we could let you sleep after yesterday, but we need to get heading out. Meet us downstairs in ten minutes; we'll explain what's up over some grub."

Ash put his clothes on in a daze as his mind tried to wake up with his body. Stumbling down the stairs, he saw Cynthia, Alder, and Dawn sitting around a table, eating quietly, none of them looking up at Ash.

"So uh...where's Wallace and..." Ash started, but found himself not wanting to finish his sentence.

"They went back to the Pokemon League Headquarters." Alder replied simply. "Wallace briefed Cynthia on the next location we need to hit before they left last night."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to think about Cilan anymore, let alone see him. It was just too much to handle. He had wasted an entire night venting about what the Gym Leader had done to him, and now just wanted to focus on getting Pikachu back and avenging his mother. "Good. So, what's next?"

At the young man's resolve, tensions around the table eased up slightly.

Cynthia cleared her throat. "Information we managed to get from the Sage, the Shadow Triad, states that Team Plasma is planning on performing some sort of attack in Nimbasa City. Research from Wallace seems to confirm this."

"So what are they going to be doing?" Dawn asked.

"By all accounts, we seem to have word that this evening, Ghetsis will be making some sort of appearance at the Musical Hall. Unfortunately, Ghetsis is very secretive about the true inner workings of Team Plasma, and neither the Shadow Triad, nor Gorm, know what his true motivations are once all Pokemon are freed. Both know that Team Plasma does indeed plan on seizing power once the region is rendered defenseless, however, how exactly Ghetsis plans to act is beyond anyone's scope of knowledge. However, Cilan had overheard a few of the other Sages discussing a plan in coercing all the Pokemon in Nimbasa to be released by use of the threat of violence." Cynthia explained.

"Violence, huh?" Alder asked. "What kind of violence are they talking."

"The conversation that Cilan overheard is that they will have the abducted Unova League Tournament Champion, N, with them, and will threaten to kill him on stage unless the whole of the city releases their Pokemon into the wild. We cannot confirm this, but, we should not take any chances." Cynthia replied grimly. "He's going to put a gamble on people putting his life over their bonds with their Pokemon. Either way, it won't end well."

Ash, Dawn, and Alder all glanced at each other and looked back to Cynthia.

"Well then." Alder stated with confidence, "We just can't let that happen, can we?"

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter.<strong>


	8. Falling

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 8: Falling**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

><p><em>Well this sucks<em>. Ash thought to himself, staring in the mirror.

Earlier that afternoon, Ash, Cynthia, Dawn, and Alder had left for Nimbasa City, so that they could go to the Pokemon Musical Hall that night in hopes of intercepting Team Plasma's plan, whatever it happened to be.

Because they were going to be in a large crowd in a dimly lit theater, disguises for Ash and Dawn weren't considered a huge priority. Unfortunately, he still had to dress up for it. _Once again, in a suit. I hate wearing a suit. It doesn't suit me at all. Oh wow, I'm so glad no one could hear me think that; that was the worst pun ever._

They had once again arrived a League safe-location; this one was actually located in a secret underground basement under the Nimbasa Pokemon Center. Now in the bathroom attached to room he and Alder had to share, he struggled to put on his tie properly. After his fifth attempt, he deemed it satisfactory, and trudged out of the bathroom.

Alder, who had already gotten geared up, had to have a bit more of an elaborate disguise. He had to sport a fake beard, monocle, and hat to pass himself off as an older gentleman. They had even sprayed his long mane of red hair gray just to make sure he didn't stand out.

"This disguise makes me feel like I should talk with an accent. Ello, guv'nah!" Alder said, though the accent wouldn't convince anyone. Ash laughed.

"I've...heard better." Ash said, rubbing the back of his head.

Alder shrugged. "Oh well. Not like we'll have to much talking anyways. You're looking pretty sharp, Ash."

Ash rolled his eyes. "Thanks I guess. I hate wearing suits. They're all uncomfortable and itchy."

"What, going to wear jeans and a t-shirt when you and Dawn get married?" Alder asked, with a grin.

Ash blushed fiercely. "What? I don't know what you're - what's that supposed to - shut up."

Alder laughed heartily. "You're too easy to get all flustered up, Ash. Besides, if you don't want us to tease you, maybe you two shouldn't flirt so much on the job."

Ash looked to his feet. "Er...sorry."

Alder shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Trust me, I've got a secretary back at the Unova League headquarters that I'm going to ask out on date once this is all done. Provided we all make it out of this in one piece."

Ash chuckled a bit. "Maybe you'll have better luck than you did with Officer Jenny."

"Hardy har har, kid." Alder replied. Then he leaned forward in the chair he was sitting in, propping his elbow up on the table. "Let's say you and I make a deal."

"Yeah? What kind of deal?" Ash asked, not able to hide his curiosity.

"When this is all over, I'll ask her out, if you tell Dawn you got the hots for her." Alder suggested with a smug look.

Ash's face turned red once more. "I don't...like Dawn that way..."

Alder just gave Ash a scrutinizing stare. "Liar. You blush practically every time she looks at you. Then again, you do the same with Cynthia, not that I blame you, she's a looker. You either got ask her out, or ask Cynthia out. Considering the age difference, I'd suggest Dawn."

Ash wished he was wearing his hat so he could pull it down to hide his eyes. "I can't help it..."

Alder laughed at the young man's expense. "Come on kid, do we have a deal?"

Ash looked off to the side. "Okay...when this is done, I'll tell Dawn I like her if you ask out your secretary."

As Alder and Ash shook hands, Alder slyly pointed out, "Glad you're finally admitting it."

Ash flinched at his slip up. "Damn it. Don't tell her, please?"

Alder laughed, "You're making it too easy kid. Too easy."

He knew Dawn, of course, loved the excuse to get all primped out in one of her contest dresses. So Ash was glad that at least she was going to enjoy herself. He and Alder were waiting in the meeting area in the secure location, waiting for Cynthia and Dawn to get ready.

"I would make a comment about women taking forever to get ready, but that's when Cynthia would come down and slap me for making a sexist comment or something." Alder mumbled.

"Oh my, are we actually learning something?" Came a female voice.

Alder and Ash turned around, and Ash's jaw dropped so hard it almost unhinged itself as he saw the Sinnoh Champion in a rather short dress. Alder laughed heartily at Ash's reaction, which gave Ash enough notice to try and catch his awestruck reaction. Cynthia still noticed and rolled her eyes at the young man. She was, to her dismay, dressed as something of a socialite trophy wife to accompany the "older gentleman" that Alder was portraying.

"I'm a little old for you, Ash." She said, smirking. Ash's face burned in humiliation, but then Cynthia whispered to him, "But, I think Dawn really wants to impress you. So your reaction better be the same for her."

Ash rubbed the bridge of his nose, slightly frustrated. "Why are two Champions insisting on playing matchmaker for me?"

"Oh, come on, we need to make some fun for ourselves while we're on this mission. And picking on the two of you happens to be hilarious." Cynthia replied.

Ash groaned in response, "Yeah, for you."

"Uh...are we ready to go?" Came a nervous, younger female voice behind them.

Ash turned around, and it turned out Cynthia had no reason to warn him; Ash's jaw dropped once more. This time, both Champions stifled their laughter at the young man, so he didn't even catch his action until Dawn saw. Dawn blushed at Ash's response and giggled. She walked up and said, rather amused, "You look really handsome, Ash. I like how the suit looks on you."

A nervous Ash could only muster up the response, "I don't think it suits me." Then he facepalmed at the terrible pun he had made earlier in his mind and had repeated just now. "Wait..."

Dawn laughed once more, which caused her to throw her hair back. Ash's brain froze up at how stunning he found the girl. He vaguely remembered feeling this way when Dawn masqueraded as a princess. Luckily Cynthia had walked behind Ash and mouthed, "Tell her she looks beautiful," while giving him a thumbs up, snapping Ash from his trance.

"You look b-beautiful, Dawn." Ash stated, slipping on his words slightly.

Dawn blushed, "Thanks Ash, that's sweet of you." _He doesn't get it. How he makes me fall for him._

"Okay, enough of this, you two. Any sweeter, and I'll get diabetes. Let's just go." Alder said, shaking his head.

* * *

><p>A knock came at the door to N's room, making the young man fall off his skateboard. Luckily, he was at the bottom of his half-pipe, and was able to pick himself up off the ground, dusting himself off.<p>

Two Team Plasma Grunts walked into the room. Pikachu growled angrily, but N held up a hand to calm the Pokemon.

"Lord N, it's time to go." The Plasma Grunt stated, sounding somewhat nervously as it looked at the angry electric type Pokemon before him.

N smiled and turned to Pikachu. "Team Plasma needs me to run an errand for them. I'll be back to play with you later, okay?"

Pikachu nodded in confusion. _Is he WORKING for them? But how? He talked about seeing Pokemon being taken from their trainers, right? No...he said Pokemon being taken from where they belonged. But he doesn't seem anything like any of the Team Plasma members I've run into..._

As N left the room, Pikachu looked around, bored. _Maybe I can find something in here that will give me some clues...I hope Ash is doing okay. I wonder what they did with him._

The Pokemon sighed sadly as it began digging through a pile of toys for any hints about the mysterious trainer. _I miss you, Ash. You're my best friend. I hope you guys are closer to stopping these nutcases..._

* * *

><p>As Alder, Cynthia, Dawn, and Ash landed outside the Pokemon Musical hall, Cynthia handed Ash and Dawn their tickets.<p>

"So, what is the Pokemon Musical, exactly?" Dawn whispered to Ash.

Ash shrugged. "I didn't pay much attention to them last time I was here. They're pretty much just plays or something with people and Pokemon, I think. They're apparently ritzy stuff, I guess..."

Dawn sighed. "This would actually make a good date idea if we knew we weren't going to be fighting crime halfway through it."

Ash snickered. "You make it sound like we're superheroes. And maybe a guy you like will take you here one day?"

Dawn looked at Ash slyly. "I sure hope he does."

"Oh? Have someone in mind?" Ash said, struggling not to get his hopes up. _It could be anyone. Like Gary, or Paul, or Kenny. Then again, I count as anyone too, right? I need to stop analyzing this or I'll just starting thinking about why all of them have advantages over me or something..._

Dawn blushed and giggled. _I'm saying way too much. Good thing he's so dense. _"Come on Ash, now's not the time to talk about this stuff."

They all made their way into the crowded theater. _With how dark it is in here, why even bother with these disguises? _Ash wondered to himself as he finally found his seat. As the mission grew imminent, he felt his usual desire to take Team Plasma apart grow within him. This time, fueled by the anger he felt from Cilan's betrayal, he was ready to take down the organization. _Pikachu gone, my mom's fate up in the air, my own friend responsible...these guys are going down._

He sat down next to Dawn and whispered to her, "You ready?"

Dawn nodded. "Yes. I still never got those bastards back for what they did to you." There was a fiery anger in her voice that took Ash by surprise. He never heard her quite like that.

"But I'm alright." Ash replied, confused.

Dawn looked into his eyes and stated, determined, "They almost took you from me. I'm going to destroy them."

Ash grinned and looked back into her eyes, "That's what I like to hear. Let's rip these guys apart for all the crap they've pulled."

"Shh, you two." Alder whispered to them sternly, "I know you guys are ready, but you need to focus and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious."

Ash and Dawn nodded to the Champion. Unfortunately, as they tried to scan the theater, it was too dark to see anyone who wasn't directly in front of them.

"So no clue when they're supposed to actually strike, right?" Alder mumbled to Cynthia.

Cynthia shook her head. "No, just some time during the play. So far, nothing seems out of the ordinary, so they could be attempting to strike backstage. Maybe one of us should go investigate."

Alder didn't hesitate to respond. "Sounds fine to me. Never been much of a theater fan, anyways. I'd rather watch wrestling or something..."

So Alder got up and shuffled past Ash and Dawn to see if he could sneak backstage, eager for some action.

"I guess Alder thinks being here further taints his so-called manly image." Cynthia whispered to Ash and Dawn, making them both snicker.

Not long after Alder had left, some lights went on and the play began to start. Ash wasn't paying attention to the play at all, and was still trying to look around for anything weird. But his eyes snapped back to the stage when he heard the crowd laugh at something. It seemed that a Musharna on stage had cast Hypnosis on all the actors on stage, making all the actors and Pokemon fall asleep.

However, Cynthia took a stern look on her face, and frantically hissed to Ash and Dawn, "It's time."

"This isn't normally part of the show?" Dawn asked, taken aback. She, like Ash, hadn't been much paying attention, but she figured it was just a gag for comic relief.

Cynthia shook her head. "No. Someone from the orchestra commanded that Musharna, and they haven't actually touched an instrument. They must be from Team Plasma. Right before they were put to sleep, a few cast members looked genuinely confused at its appearance as well. Get your Pokeballs ready..."

Alder had managed to sneak past two security guards into the backstage dressing room area. Since most of the actors were on set, it was actually easier than he expected not to get caught. One of them even assumed he was some sort of businessman for the theater itself and walked right by him. He quickly ducked behind a bush prop as some security guards walked by. _If Team Plasma can pull something off, I wouldn't be surprised. They almost make it too easy. Now, if I were an homicidal maniac criminal mastermind, where would I be hiding to enact my plan? They would probably find a back entrance to sneak in to._

Alder continued to quietly slip past actors, their Pokemon, and various security personnel, until he rounded a corner to the dressing area of the stage. He quickly ducked back behind the corner; the angle that the mirrors had been set up at, he caught a glimpse of a person reflected in them. They must have been on the other side of the wall he was leaning against. Alder pressed himself up along the wall and tried to remain as silent as possible.

"Lord N, are you positive that this Pokemon will listen to me?"

Alder paused, confused, _I thought N was the target? _He was quickly snapped from his thoughts when he heard the one referred to as N speak as well.

"Of course, father," N replied, "I spoke with them this morning before departure. Reshiram has agreed to take commands from either you or myself for the time being. It's all for the greater good of freeing our friends from the tyranny of Pokemon trainers."

"That's a good lad." The older voice said, sounding very pleased. "Once we stage this action, all the Pokemon being forced to participate in these ridiculous theatrics will be free from their bonds. Then we can hopefully move on to the rest of Nimbasa City."

Alder heard N growl. "It's degrading. Pokemon are majestic creatures of unlimited potential. To be forced to act as puppets for the entertainment of the upper class? I'm glad we're taking them down, father. They deserve better than this."

_So the kid is in on this whole thing? _Alder thought in disbelief.

However, before the Champion could take action, the older voice of the "father" spoke again, "All we have to do now is take care of the eavesdropper on the other side of that wall."

_Go time._ Alder thought, as he released all six Pokemon before rounding the corner. To his shock, there were more than two people waiting for him. No, unfortunately, N was there with Ghetsis, and five other Sages, who were all busy bowing before the two leaders, and had not spoken. But at the sight of the Unova Champion, the five Sages jumped up to defend Ghetsis and N. All five released a team of six Pokemon each, outnumbering the Champion thirty to six. What's worse, is that it became clear the Sages were armed much better than a standard Grunt; each sage had a Chandelure, a Krookodile, a Cofagrigus, a Scrafty, an Amoongus, and a Sigilyph at their disposal.

As the crowd of Pokemon and remaining five Sages surrounded Alder, Ghetsis and N walked right by, allowing Ghetsis to gloat, "I see the Champions are here. Just as planned. Sages, feel free to dispose of our unwanted guest; there will be a new Champion for Unova soon."

"All hail lord N." The Sages all chanted in response.

As N and Ghetsis walked away, Alder exchanged looks with his team before giving them a confident grin. He cracked his knucles himself and calmly told the Sages, "Alright, boys, let's see what you're made of."

* * *

><p>Cynthia's fears had been right. The audience laughter died down as two team Plasma Grunts hopped onto the stage from the Orchestra Pit. And there was a collective gasp in the room as a young man with green hair, who was tied up with his hands behind his back, was thrown hard onto the stage and crashed against the floor.<p>

"That's...that's N!" Ash whispered to Dawn.

"They guy who won the Unova League?" Dawn asked.

Ash nodded. "He had one of the legendary Unova Pokemon, Reshiram. I have no clue how they managed to get him with that much firepower under his belt."

Dawn shrugged. "Probably the same way they killed Tobias..."

He was followed out by a man wearing robes similar to the ones Gorm had been sporting, except they seemed slightly nicer. He too had green hair, and walked next to N with an air of importance.

"That's Ghetsis." Cynthia growled to Ash and Dawn, voice seething with fury.

Dawn scowled. "I remember, that was the guy who gave that bogus speech in Castelia."

"That's the guy who killed Tobias?" Ash asked in disbelief. It was hard to believe one man could be behind so much death and anguish. _That's the guy who's behind all this. He''s why Cilan betrayed me. He's why that awful night happened. _Ash began shaking angrily.

Cynthia grabbed his shoulder, sensing his rage, "Calm down. If you let your emotions get the best of you, you'll just get careless, trust me. We need to formulate a plan."

Ash sighed. _She's right. I can't let them get the best of me. _He and Dawn leaned towards Cynthia to hear what the Sinnoh Champion had in store...

Ghetsis began to speak on the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, good evening! I'm sorry to interrupt what I'm sure was an expensive night out, but Team Plasma has a message for all of you! Some of you may have heard of us from the new announcement yesterday, stating we were stealing Pokemon from novice trainers."

A few murmurs rose from the crowd, but Ghetsis let out a hearty laugh that echoed throughout the entire theater. "This is a fallacy. You see, Team Plasma is here to restore honor to Pokemon. These creatures, these noble, intelligent creatures who greatly affect our lives, deserve better. Better than to be our subjects in painful Pokemon Battles, better than to be forced into pointless Contests, better than to be forced onto a stage, and be DEGRADED into ACTORS for YOUR ENTERTAINMENT! All of you should be ashamed! These activities are the TRUE CRIMES! CRIMES against NATURE ITSELF!"

Ghetsis voice roared as if he was speaking through a microphone, but it may have been aided by the fact that the whole crowd had gone deathly silent in fear. "Do you recognize this young man? Not long ago he won your precious, Unova League Tournament. Trainers like this represent everything that is wrong with this world; forcing these creatures out of their environment, forced to fight against their brethren. And for their own glory? NO. For the sake of a Trainer's own bragging rights."

Ghetsis released an Elektross. It growled menacingly and surrounded itself with electricity, read to use a Spark attack on the helpless trainer. "So, I offer you all a choice. Lining the exits of this theater are my own, personal underlings from Team Plasma. Leave this theater and surrender your Pokemon to them. Or this boy dies. It's a very simple request."

"Now." Cynthia muttered to Ash and Dawn.

Ash threw a Pokeball into the air and released Staraptor. Cynthia released a Roserade onto the flying Pokemon. Dawn released one of her smaller Pokemon, Buneary, to go sneak down the stairs and head towards the stage to attack Ghetsis from behind. The plan was to apprehend Ghetsis with Ice Beam, the way Dawn had done to a Grunt back in Nacrene.

Staraptor flew in close, and on its back Roserade launched a Magical Leaf attack at Ghetsis' Elektross. However, Ghetsis was prepared. "Thunderbolt, Elektross."

The Eel-like Pokemon did as it was told, and hit the leaves with a powerful Thunderbolt, canceling the attack out.

Cynthia however was prepared for this as well. During the attack, she released her Garchomp and rode him over the crowd and onto the stage to face Ghetsis."This ends tonight, Ghetsis."

"Oh my!" Ghetsis cried, in mocking tone, "The Champion of the Sinnoh region! How utterly expected after you have interfered in my last two appearances! I couldn't have possibly prepared for this. Hydreigon! Come out! Bisharp, you as well."

Ghetsis answered the attack with his own Dragon, and the bladed Pokemon. They joined at the side of Elektross, as Roserade jumped off the back of Ash's Staraptor to join Cynthia's Garchomp. However, Staraptor swooped back over N, and dropped something out of it's talons: another Pokeball. The Pokeball hit the ground and released Ash's Snorlax, who landed on the Musharna from earlier with a massive Body Slam. He then took a protective stance in front of N. Staraptor then swooped down to join Cynthia's Pokemon.

After a brief standoff, Ghetsis grinned wildly. "Your move, Champion."

"Garchomp, Dragon Rush. Roserade, Energy Ball, Staraptor, Close Combat!" Cynthia commanded.

Luckily, Staraptor had agreed to follow attack commands from the Champion, and assaulted Bisharp before anyone else had the chance to attack, but Ghetsis was right behind Cynthia with his own commands.

"Bisharp, counter with Stone Edge. Elektross, use Flamethrower on Roserade. And Hydreigon, dodge the inferior dragon and use Fire Blast on those intruders trying to sneak up on me, will you?" He replied coolly.

These commands completely surprised Cynthia. _How did he-?_

Despite taking massive damage from the Close Combat attack, Bisharp was able to fire off a Stone Edge attack, blasting Staraptor back into Snorlax (who man

aged to catch the bird). Elektross' Flamethrower attack overtook the Energy Ball, and scorched Roserade, but still left the grass-type able to battle. Finally, Hydreigon roared angrily as it flew overhead of Garchomp, who crashed into the stage background of the play. Hydreigon then spun around in mid-air to fire the attack at Dawn's Buneary, who had just made her way on to the stage. It hit the small rabbit Pokemon before she was able to attack Ghetsis, and knocked her out.

Back in their seats, Dawn almost cried out for Buneary, but Ash quickly placed his hand over her mouth. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to her." He whispered to her. Cynthia had instructed them to wait for the right time...

Dawn calmed down and nodded, before a fury returned to her eyes; it just gave her more reason to hate Team Plasma. "Where's Alder? You think he'd be up here trashing this guy too."

Ash shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe they had some thugs backstage?"

Hydreigon had taken it's eyes off of Garchomp for too long, however. Cynthia's preferred battler was already charging Hydreigon after being put through some stage props. "BRICK BREAK!" Issued Cynthia angrily, trying to keep her plan from falling apart. Garchomp was able to knock Hydregion back onto the stage with an angry roar.

"Hmph. Elektross, use Flamethrower on Roserade once more! Bisharp, don't let up on using Stone Edge! Hydreigon, rise up and use Dragon Pulse!" Ghetsis growled.

"Roserade, dodge out of the way and hit Elektross with a Sludge Bomb! Staraptor, fly up out of the way and hit Bisharp with Aerial Ace! Garchomp, use Dragon Rush before it can get its attack out!" Cynthia countered with her own commands.

After yelling this out Cynthia held up two fingers to the audience. That was the signal.

Wordlessly, Ash released Charizard, and he and Dawn hopped onto his back. Charizard quickly charged the stage, aiming to fly in behind Snorlax and grab N.

As Ghetsis noticed this, he ordered Dragon Pulse to be fired at Charizard instead of Garchomp. However, Garchomp met Hydreigon in mid air, and the two began to grapple to make sure Charizard was able to make it to N. However, using its longer neck Hydreigon managed to raise its head over Garchomp...

"Ash, attack them both! Trust me!" Cynthia yelled to the younger trainer, before issuing another command to Roserade.

He didn't hesitate. "Charizard, use Dragon Rage on Hydreigon!"

Charizard wasted no time launching the powerful, blue-flamed attack, hitting both Hydreidon and Garchomp head on. Both dragons toppled to the stage, landing on top of Elektross and Roserade. Ghetsis took the opportunity to summon his Seismitoad, a Cofagrigus, and a Bouffalant. Cynthia responded by calling out her Lucario, Togekiss, and Spiritomb.

Ash, Dawn, and Charizard landed behind Snorlax. Two Plasma Grunts were guarding N (but had been too petrified of Snorlax to do much else). They each sent out a Watchog, but Charizard made quick work of both of them using Flamethrower. Charizard grunted at the two, and they took off backstage.

Ash hopped off of his first Fire Type, and quickly untied N. "We need to get you somewhere safe!"

N looked surprised. "The Pokemon League sent you? I remember battling you in the...why is a little kid like you mixed up in this?"

Ash facepalmed. "We really don't have time to talk about this."

Snorlax groaned in pain as it grabbed on to Bouffalant, who was attempting to knock him down with Head Charge. N and Ash quickly hopped on to Charizard, and took to the air. Once off the ground, Ash recalled Snorlax, as well as Staraptor. Charizard flew across the stage quickly, allowing Dawn to recall Buneary.

Ash then gave the command Cynthia had given him in order to escape: "Charizard, use Dragon Rage on the roof!"

Charizard did as was told, and used the powerful Dragon attack to blast a hole big enough for him to fly through out of the top of the Pokemon Musical Hall.

Cynthia let out a sigh of relief as she commanded Spiritomb to use Shadow Ball on Ghetsis' Cofagrigus, but she quickly became less than thrilled once she realized the Seventh Sage of Team Plasma was _laughing maniacally._

"Tell me, Champion of Sinnoh, how do you feel now that the children have escaped?" Ghetsis said, barely able to control himself.

Cynthia didn't answer, just demanded that Lucario use Aura Sphere on Bouffalant. "You're running out of Pokemon, Ghetsis."

Ghetsis revealed a seventh Pokeball from under his robe.

Cynthia scowled. "How did you bypass the built in sensors that send a seventh Pokemon away from the trainer? No trainer can hold more than six, it's technologically impossible."

Ghetsis chuckled as his Seismitoad was able to knock out Togekiss with a Sludge Wave attack. "Because, this Pokemon belongs to the King of Team Plasma, our undisputed ruler." With a brief pause and a sinister smile, he added, "You know our king as N, that trainer you just sent away with two children."

_This is a set up. He just got the two of them alone with their leader, and none of us could have known. He knew. _Cynthia realized, before screaming in anger, "YOU BASTARD! Lucario, use Dragon Pulse on Ghetsis!"

Before Lucario could act, Ghetsis released the Pokeball he had received from N, unleashing the legendary Pokemon, Reshiram, which pratically crushed the stage beneath it. By now, the crowd in the Pokemon Musical Hall had fled the area for the most part, but those that remained fled in terror at the sight of what many believed to be a fable.

Without having to be told, Reshiram used Extrasensory to halt Lucario's attack, and fling him back against a wall, knocking him out.

"Blue Flare, Reshiram." Ghetsis commanded with glee. The Vast White Pokemon englushed Spiritomb in beautiful blue flames, knocking Spiritomb unconscious.

_Only one Pokemon left. _Cynthia lamented in her mind. "Milotic, I need you!" She called, sending out her last hope at stopping Reshiram.

"Blue Flare again!" Ghetsis yelled again laughing.

The attack landed on Milotic, who cried in pain. Cynthia winced but yelled out, "Milotic, use Mirror Coat!"

Milotic did as told, and as Cynthia hoped, the attack rebounded on to Reshiram two-fold. The dragon roared in pain...but only for a brief second, before it regained a fighting stance and roared angrily.

"A futile attempt." Ghetsis said smirking, "Finish it off with Hyper Beam."

Reshiram was more than happy to oblige, and used the attack to take Milotic down.

Cynthia recalled her Pokemon and glared angrily at Ghetsis. "This isn't over."

Ghetsis laughed as he recalled Seismitoad, his only remaining Pokemon who had not been knocked out in the battle. "Isn't it? Who can stop Team Plasma when we have the firepower of the fabled Reshiram on our side! This Pokemon recognizes N as its hero! Who can stop us now?"

"Forgetting someone?" Came a very angry, gruff voice from behind Ghetsis.

Ghetsis turned around in shock and was promptly punched in the nose by a bloody, beaten Alder. Ghetsis hit the floor hard, and Alder placed his foot over Ghetsis neck. "Weren't expecting me to make it past your cronies, huh? No, I took out all their Pokemon, and they all teleported away, like little Torchic-shi-"

Before Alder could finish his sentence, Reshiram angrily smacked the Unova Champion off of Ghetsis with his tail, flinging him to Cynthia's feet. Ghetsis hastily climbed up onto Reshiram's back. "You're right Cynthia. This isn't over. But once I'm done with you and those children, you'll wish I had ended this tonight instead. Mark my words; you will regret this."

Reshiram turned and fired a Hyper Beam at the back of the building, and took off. However, the force of the Hyper Beam made the entire Pokemon Musical Hall begin to shake.

"We...we need to get out of here, now!" Cynthia yelled. Alder hopped up in pain but was able to take off with her as they ran towards the exit of the building.

* * *

><p>As they headed for the Nimbasa Pokemon Center, Ash noticed Charizard was struggling slightly to support the weight of three humans on his back. Ash reached over and gave him a supportive pat. "Buddy, if you need to land, we can finish the rest of the trip on foot." Ash told him. Charizard responded, "Char," in appreciation and went down for a landing a few blocks away from the Pokemon Center.<p>

As the three dismounted, Ash pat Charizard once more as the dragon-like Pokemon nuzzled his trainer's neck. "Thank you so much Charizard. You were great. Take a nice rest."

Dawn couldn't help but giggle as Charizard licked Ash's face a few times before being returned to his Pokeball. "For such a fierce looking Pokemon, he practically purrs like a Skitty around you, Ash."

N watched the display as well, but with complete and total confusion. _This isn't right. Every Pokemon my father has brought around me has been mistreated. All humans mistreat Pokemon, don't they? This boy acts nothing like the trainers Pokemon have told me about before. Why...why did that Charizard seem so happy._

"N, are you alright?" Ash asked the older boy, who looked to be lost in thought.

"Your Pokemon...are they all like that?" N asked rapidly. "It seems so weird, I never see things like that a lot, it just feel unnatural."

Dawn blinked at the teen's fast speech patterns. "Slow down. Keep talking like that and we won't be able to understand a word you say. And what do you mean, all like that?"

"Just...I can't really describe. Charizard seemed excited to be with you or something." N stated, making an effort to slow down his speech patterns.

"Well...why wouldn't he?" Ash answered, not really understanding what was so weird about his Pokemon's actions, "We've been friends for a really long time. I love Charizard. I mean, I love all my Pokemon."

Dawn laughed, "And all your Pokemon seem to really love you. You have this weird way of connecting with them."

Ash blushed at the compliment and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Thanks Dawn..."

N's mind felt blown. _Love? Friends? What sort of nonsense in this? Pokemon capturing is abusive and disruptive._ N thought, _He's lying. They caught on to my plan, and are trying to set me up._

"...let me speak with Charizard." N said abruptly. It wasn't a question, as the boy said it with conviction.

"What? Why?" Ash asked confused. He glanced over to Dawn, who just shrugged at him.

"...I was raised around wild Pokemon. I can understand them. Please...I just...I need to know something." N said, sounding increasingly desperate.

Ash shrugged and called Charizard out once more, who looked thoroughly confused. "Sorry buddy, but uh...N here says he can understand Pokemon and...well, I guess he wants to ask you some things."

Charizard shrugged.

N walked up to the dragon and rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger. "Charizard...tell me about your trainer." He asked, in a kind tone.

"What? Why do you want to know about Ash?" Dawn asked, bewildered.

Without looking away from the Fire Type, N held up a hand to silence her. "Please, let the Pokemon speak."

Ash and Dawn exchanged a few worried looks with each other. _What on earth is this all about?_ Ash wondered.

So, Charizard told N all about his experiences with Ash; Ash saving him as a Charmander, the battles, evolving, how Ash won over Charizard's respect, everything. But above all, Charizard always referred to Ash in a positive light, stating how caring of a trainer Ash had been not just for him, but for all the Pokemon he had encountered. Charizard relayed to N that Ash always fought to bring out the best in all his companions, and that he treated them all with kindness and respect, especially a Pikachu that had been with Ash since the beginning of his journey.

But among all of this, what was the most daunting to N, was that Charizard actively referred to Ash not as a trainer, but as a _friend_. Almost like they were family.

"He's...he's very happy to be here with you." Said N, as if the world was crashing around him. _That Pikachu that was with me...is it...could it be the one that this boy had? Charizard mentioned it was stolen. But it can't be. Wasn't that Pikachu unhappy to have been removed from its friends in the wild? Or did it mean friends as in this boy here? I don't understand. This isn't like anything father has taught me. It must be an act. He must have these noble creatures fooled. I...I don't understand!  
><em>

"Is...that an issue?" Ash asked, becoming more confused every time N opened his mouth. He recalled Charizard, giving his friend a much needed rest.

N didn't look at Ash as he answered. "No. Tell me, Ash, you have a Pikachu, correct?"

Ash felt his skin tighten. "Yes, why? Do you know something about him?"

N nodded, although it was a bit unsure. "In Team Plasma's lair...there was a Pikachu...but...I'm not sure."

N thought for a minute. Losing her patience, Dawn begged him, "Please, if you know anything about Ash's Pikachu, please tell us! We want to get him back!"

An idea struck N. _This boy...maybe he's what Team Plasma needs_. "Come with me. I want to talk to you about it in private."

Without waiting for an answer, N began to walk towards the Nimbasa Carnival.

Ash and Dawn looked at each other hesitantly. Cynthia had ordered that they take N back to the League safe-spot under the Pokemon Center. But they wanted to know what N was up to, and they couldn't help but notice he was acting a little suspiciously.

"What do you think, Ash?" Dawn whispered as they walked a few feet behind the older boy.

Ash shrugged. "I'm not sure," he whispered back, "he's been acting really weird...but if he knows about Pikachu, I _have_ to find out about it..."

Dawn nodded. "I understand. I would feel that way about any of my Pokemon. Alright Ash, I'm right here with you."

They pushed their way through the crowd of people that always seemed to swarm the Nimbasa Carnival. Ash and Dawn struggled to keep up with N, who was taking a much faster stride, but seemed to be looking for something in particular.

"N, where are you taking us?" Dawn yelled ahead to the older boy, somewhat frustrated.

"We need to get somewhere high up: I want to keep an eye out for something." He replied frantically. Then, he saw the Ferris Wheel, got excited, and pointed to it, "THERE! Quick, let's head there!"

N took off running, prompting Ash and Dawn to do the same as to not lose pace with the boy. They finally caught up to them, and he practically pushed them inside a Pokeball-shaped Ferris Wheel cart.

"What is it you needed to keep an eye out for, anyways?" Ash asked when he finally caught his breath.

"Oh, that's not important right now. But you, Ash...I want to talk to you." N said, sounding deadly serious.

The gears on the ride began to shift, and they started moving. The cart lurched forward, starting the pleasant ride.

"Me? Why me?" Ash asked.

"Ash...Dawn...do you know what the ultimate goals of Team Plasma are?" N asked, quietly. He almost looked amused.

Ash and Dawn once again exchanged confused looks. "Well, yeah," replied Dawn, "Ghetsis wants to remove everyone's Pokemon so he can rule the world."

N gave a condescending snicker. "A child's view. Team Plasma's goal is to remove Pokemon from the hands of trainers. Did you hear Ghetsis' words? They are the truth. Pokemon belong in the wild. Removed from their environment by trainers...do you know what a Pokemon battle is, Ash? Dawn?"

Before they could answer, N, continued, "It's my friends getting hurt. No good comes from capturing Pokemon. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"So...you agree with Team Plasma?" Ash said, somewhat sadly. _They were going to kill him...weren't they? Why side with them?  
><em>

N shook his head. "No. I'm the King of Team Plasma. Ghetsis is my father, leader of the Seven Sages. We operate Team Plasma harmoniously."

Both Ash and Dawn stood up in surprise and fury, but N pointed a finger at that them and calmly stated, "If you care about Pikachu, you will sit down and let me finish."

Ash and Dawn both plopped back down, but continued to glare daggers at the teenager. Ash couldn't stop his fists from clenching or keep himself from shaking in anger.

"Tonight, my goal was different. I was originally supposed to kill you both when your backs were turned. But no, you've made me realize something." N said, with a smile that far too innocent for the subject at hand.

"You see, I was raised around Pokemon like yours; ones that had been taken away from their homes and forced into things they didn't want to do. All of them hated it. All of them, ever since I was a boy. I knew in my heart, that I had to set Pokemon free from these bonds. In my heart, I knew the truth; that in order to make the world a perfect place, Pokemon had to be liberated, and to be kept free from the oppression of humans. That way, only they could truly be happy."

N stared out the window, which just made Ash and Dawn more furious. _He doesn't even have the respect to look us in the eye for this, that piece of..._ Dawn thought, feeling herself tremble with anger as well.

"And I know my ideals are right. Because before Team Plasma entered me in the Unova League, they took me to Dragonspiral tower outside if Icirrus City...and at the top of the tower, I became recognized by the legendary Pokemon Reshiram as his chosen hero. I embody his ideas. But despite all Team Plasma's efforts, we haven't been able to find Zekrom, the other fabled dragon of Unova." N stated, voice not raising at all.

N finally turned to look at Ash. "Do you know the tale of the legendary dragons, Ash?"

Ash couldn't speak, his rage was just too great. So N continued. "Calm down, before you pop a blood-vessel. A long time ago, there was only one legendary dragon Pokemon that watched over the Unova region. He was recognized by two heroes, both of them brothers. But on a journey, the brothers came to a disagreement on their goals. One brother was idealistic, and wanted to stick to the visions he saw in his heart. The other brother, however, sought the truth, regardless of how it might change his views. The two brothers clashed. Unable to pick a side, the dragon split into two Pokemon; Zekrom and Reshiram, and the two waged a war. A sick, disgusting Pokemon battle that caused both dragons great pain. In the end, they were reduced to very simple forms, and sealed away, until each Pokemon would come to recognize the new coming of their hero."

"So. What." Ash spat out, able to contain his rage for two words. _Stay calm. Do it for Pikachu. Do it for Pikachu._

N frowned. "Well, it seems that despite our efforts, Reshiram and Zekrom are still destined to oppose each other. They are opposites, black and white. I can not get them both to recognize me, as all our attempts to find Zekrom have become useless. At first, I wasn't sure what this means. But from talking to Charizard, I think I know."

"Get to your point, I'm getting really sick of not punching you in the face." Dawn said, on the verge of yelling.

N gave her an amused look. "To be honest, you're irrelevant to this whole conversation. Ash, I think you're my opposite; any Pokemon who fight at my side, I do not capture. They fight for what I believe in. They were captured before, and hate the idea from their abuse. I thought all Pokemon training was like this. But then you came in. Somehow, by whatever measure, your Pokemon _love_ you. They're happier _with_ you than they ever were before. All these things young trainers are told about Pokemon and people living in harmony...you somehow embody this theory. Your Pikachu talked about you the way other Pokemon talk about their lives in the wild; it's ultimately what he wants. Both Pikachu and Charizard refer to you not as a trainer, but a friend, a beloved family member. You are the opposite of everything I've ever been brought to believe. And I would be lying if I didn't say it was driving me crazy."

N stood up. "Ash, I think you are the one destined to find Zekrom. I want to test my ideals against yours. Because I know if I can topple you, who represents everything I am against, I can succeed in freeing Pokemon all over the world."

Both Ash and Dawn stood up to face N, despite not being as tall as him. "And what's stopping me from destroying you right now?" Ash said in a dangerous tone.

N smiled and looked over in the distance to the Pokemon Musical Hall. "Take a look at what I was watching."

Ash and Dawn looked over and gasped. Reshiram, the legendary Fire Dragon, had erupted from the back of the Pokemon Musical Hall, and was flying towards the Ferris Wheel. N put two fingers to his lips and whistled. Somehow, Reshiram heard this and began racing towards his master. "I'm leaving on Reshiram. Because if you try to stop me, Pikachu will die." N stated simply.

N turned back to Ash and smiled sinisterly. "Think about it, Ash. You don't have much time before I'll come looking for an answer. But do you want me to make this more personal for you? I'd really like you to accept this challenge."

Reshiram was already next to the Ferris Wheel as Ash, Dawn, and N's cart reached the top of the loop.

"How. How could you make this any more personal, you sick, twisted bastard?" Ash said, getting in N's face. "You've taken my best friend, my mom, you've hurt so many people. You can't do anything else to make me want to hurt you more than I do right now."

"I'm glad to hear you accept. But I think I could, personally." N said.

What happened next would come to haunt Ash for the next few weeks; As the car reached the top, N opened his door to leap onto his dragon. But then, faster than Ash and Dawn would have suspected, N swung his arm at Ash, knocking him back into his seat. He then grabbed Dawn by the shoulders, and ran forward, and shoved her out of the Ferris Wheel car door opposite of Reshiram.

Ash didn't make an effort to jump after N. He didn't even see N leave. No, all he could do was fruitlessly grab after Dawn, and watch the horrified look on her face as she fell from the Ferris Wheel. All he could do was hear her horrified scream as he watched her fall. And all he could think about was the terrible thud she made as she hit the grass below.

_Dawn..._

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter.<strong>


	9. Seek

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 9: Seek**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

* * *

><p>It only took a split second for Ash to act. He released Charizard from his Pokeball into the air, and jumped from the Ferris Wheel cart onto the dragon's back. At first, the Fire Type was rather angry at being disturbed once more, but once it saw Ash's companion lying on the ground, unmoving, he understood immediately. He flew Ash as swiftly as possible to the ground.<p>

Charizard landed next to Dawn, and helped Ash load her up onto his back. "Pokemon Center, Charizard...please..." Ash pleaded through tears he didn't realize he was shedding. Confused and scared onlookers watched in amazement as the boy quickly worked to save the beautiful young woman.

Charizard nodded and flew as fast as he possibly could. Upon arrival, Ash expressed his extreme gratitude to Charizard and returned him to his capsule. Ash lifted his friend's light frame and rushed her inside.

Once in, everything seemed to happen so fast that Ash almost couldn't comprehend it. Nurse Joy and an Audino loaded Dawn onto a stretcher, and took her down into the designated League-Official area to provide aid. Once they got her into a room, Ash could tell the nurse was asking him questions about what happened, to which he would answer, but mentally, he just wasn't there. All he could think about was the look of dread on her face as she fell.

When he finally snapped back into reality, it was only at more bad news; Cynthia burst into the room, practically carrying Alder over her shoulder. He had passed out as they escaped the Pokemon Musical Hall before it collapsed, and the smaller Champion had to drag him the rest of the way.

As Alder and Dawn lay next to each other in hospital beds, Nurse Joy and her Audinos rushing back and forth to check on them. Ash and Cynthia stood next to each other in a numbed silence for a long time. In a way, both understood that the night's plans had gone horribly, horribly wrong. Both of them were too stunned for words.

"Ash...Ghetsis told me that N was the ruler of Team Plasma. Right when you left." Cynthia said, dully. "What did he...how did this happen to Dawn?"

Ash just stared at Dawn. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. Cynthia watched the pained expression on his face and grimaced. "I uh...would you rather I explained what happened after you guys left?"

Ash nodded in a lackluster fashion. He couldn't speak yet.

Cynthia sighed. "Well, right when you left, Ghetsis revealed to me that this was all...well, somehow they either planned for this to happen, or this was just a very good back-up plan, I can't be certain. Either way, he was gambling on the fact that we hadn't discovered N was actually Team Plasma's king."

Cynthia glanced over as Nurse Joy hooked Alder up to a few machines. "I was gaining a lead on Ghetsis in our battle, but unfortunately, he was holding on to N's Reshiram. Reshiram completely overtook what was left of my team. And Alder, at least from the sounds of it, had to take on the remaining five sages by himself backstage before any of this went down. Lucky for me, He managed to take them all down, but he didn't have any Pokemon left to fight with."

"...then how did you get away?" Ash asked. The question had come automatically as his mind was barely able to process the story. He would be able to recall it later, but now, everything sounded like a foreign language, masked under Dawn's scream that he could not seem to forget.

"Alder managed to sneak up behind Ghetsis while he was gloating." Cynthia explained, "Looking back, it was almost funny to see the look on his face...Alder just punched him right in nose. Completely floored him. I guess this just really freaked out Ghetsis, since he got on Reshiram to leave...after that, they smashed out the back of the theater and left...but the Musical Hall didn't make it. It collapsed shortly after."

Ash's eyes turned steely and cold. "No, N knew that would happen."

Cynthia cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Ash removed his hat and sat down next to Dawn's bed. "He seemed really confused...to make a long story short, he talked to Charizard about what kind of person I am. And then things just got weird..."

Ash set his hat down on the nightstand next to Dawn and looked at her still frame as he spoke. "He said he knew about Pikachu, and asked me and Dawn to follow him...almost like he knew where Pikachu was. So we did, and he led us to the Ferris Wheel..."

* * *

><p>In a childish room, Pikachu sighed in frustration. He had been digging through N's belongings for a long time, but he found nothing conclusive either way. Just more toys, games, and some drawings he had made. Pikachu made an interesting note that all the pictures were just of N and Pokemon he had met over the years. No people were ever included these pictures, save for N himself. It seemed a little odd to Pikachu, who thought, <em>Why wouldn't he include his family in pictures? Some of these even look recent. Who is this guy?<em>

Ready to give up, Pikachu plopped down on N's bed and yawned. With nothing better to do, he curled up into a ball, figuring a nap would do him just as good at the moment as anything else. But his ears pricked up as he heard voices coming down the hall.

"...don't understand why you let them get away!" Came a somewhat angry male voice.

Pikachu quickly rolled off the bed and walked over to the wall the voices seemed closest to, and cautiously pressed his ear against it.

"Father, calm yourself. I think we can use the boy. He could prove to be valuable in our goals of liberating Pokemon from tyranny." _That was N's voice._ Pikachu recognized immediately, _He IS working for them._

"What makes you so certain, N, that this...Ash boy could be connected to Zekrom?"

Pikachu locked up. _Ash...is he okay?_

"Father," N replied, "Reshiram and Zekrom have been in conflict ever since they split from their original form. This is the one thing that always seems to be constant in the legends told of them. We've been looking for Zekrom in hopes that he would also recognize me as a hero, but I think this may yield better results. If Zekrom and Reshiram are set to be opposites of each other, then Zekrom would be likely to recognize someone who was _my_ polar opposite."

There was a pause, as the two seemed to stop right outside the wall where Pikachu was standing. After a moment, the older voice spoke again. "And you think this boy - Ash - is enough of your opposite that he could be the one to summon Zekrom?"

Pikachu remembered the day he and Ash arrived in Unova. They had actually seen Zekrom...or at least some representation of Zekrom, and it had sapped Pikachu of his electricity. At the time, Ash and Pikachu just chalked it up to bad luck; they had run into legendary Pokemon before, but in the end, seem to come out fine in the end. _Maybe that meeting was a little more significant than we thought._

"I believe so father. Reshiram recognizes my ideals that Pokemon are unhappy in the slavery that people call Pokemon training. It's everything we've ever believed in! But this boy is at the other end of the spectrum. I spoke with one of his Pokemon even. They recognize him as a friend, true family to them. All his Pokemon seem to love him unconditionally. The Pikachu you brought me of his, even refers to him as such. I've never seen anyone besides myself able to form such strong bonds with Pokemon - and he does it the very way I'm trying to stop!" N stated enthusiastically. He sounded like a kid that couldn't wait to open a birthday present.

"I suppose it's a strategy we could try. I have no doubt we could overpower the boy." The older man replied thoughtfully, "But how will we find Zekrom after we have him?"

N laughed an odd, child-like laugh. "It's on them to find Zekrom. They believe it's their last hope, which may be true. But while they do that, we should enact plan Beta. I think that will be the most successful at this point. Reshiram already proved its power against the Sinnoh Champion, I have the utmost faith in it."

There was another pause. "Let me deliberate on this, N. I want to make sure we put our best foot forward -"

A third voice came charging down the hall, making Pikachu jump. "Lord N! Lord Ghetsis! There has been a change in the Zekrom situation!"

Both the older man _- He must be Ghetsis, _Pikachu realized - and N both responded, "Oh?" In surprise.

The third voice panted. "It's an emergency. We have reason to believe that Zekrom has fallen into enemy hands..."

* * *

><p>"And then he...he..." Ash said, stalling at the end of his story. He gulped once more, before he was able to force the words out of his mouth with a great anger. "He pushed Dawn off the Ferris Wheel. Like it was nothing..." A few tears feel down the boys face as he finished his story. <em>She did nothing to deserve that...<em>

Cynthia sat down in a chair against the wall opposite of the beds. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and looked like she was trying very hard to keep her composure as her body trembled slightly. "It seems like no matter what we do, they're always two steps ahead of us."

Before Ash could answer, Nurse Joy ushered the two out so she could perform some X-Rays on their friends. So Ash and Cynthia went out into the waiting room. Cynthia turned the television on to the news to see that they were already reporting on the incident at the Pokemon Musical Hall. The Champion walked over to a coffee pot that had been down there and poured herself some; it had been a long night.

"So, N thinks you can get Zekrom to view you as a hero?" Cynthia asked, trying to find something to talk about. She flinched as she sipped her coffee. "Blech, stale."

Ash nodded. "Yeah. He wants me to find out where Zekrom is. Too bad I couldn't catch him when I first saw him."

Cynthia spit her coffee out all over the table, making Ash lean over to the side.

"You-" Cynthia stopped to cough from her spit-take, "You saw Zekrom before?"

Ash blinked in surprise. It was always weird to see Cynthia _not_ super calm and composed. "Er...yeah. When I first came to Unova, Zekrom appeared in some weird vision to me and Pikachu. He drained Pikachu of his electrical attacks for some reason, took out Team Rocket, and then...he was just gone. It was like a dream, almost."

"Why...why haven't you mentioned this yet?" Cynthia asked, practically yelling. "Zekrom is a huge factor in Team Plasma's plans!"

Ash scratched the back of his head, realizing he left his hat on the nightstand next to Dawn. "I er...well, I don't really know. I've run into so many weird, wacky encounters with legendary Pokemon I just figured it was another weird chapter in my life."

Cynthia smiled slightly. "True enough. But Ash, ever since we found out about Team Plasma, I've been studying up on Unovian lore...no one has seen Zekrom in centuries. If he appeared to you...N might just be onto something. There has to be some sort of specific reason Zekrom would appear to you, let alone directly affect you and Pikachu."

Ash was bewildered. "You...you really think I could be the hero Zekrom could recognize? I can't even win a League Tournament, and I've been in five of them. Why would I be a hero?"

Cynthia reached over and squeezed Ash's shoulder. "Ash, N was right about something. You seem to have this gift with your Pokemon. You give them love and respect, and it seems to generally be returned in a way that I hardly ever see in other trainers. Do you remember what I told you about when I was younger?"

Ash pondered for a second before answering, "That you were something like Paul...you only cared about finding the strongest Pokemon."

Cynthia nodded. "And that path isn't what got me to where I am today. I only got here by forming strong bonds with my Pokemon, the way you and your Pokemon seem to do. Ash, you're what every trainer should aspire to be like, not me."

Ash blushed. It had to be one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to him. "But why am I so great? You seem close with all your Pokemon."

Cynthia chuckled. "Well, thank you. But remember when you picked up Charizard? All of us, Alder, Dawn, and even me, we were all amazed by how remarkably close you were with him. Just watching you with your Pokemon...you can tell there's something different about you, Ash. Now, I can't guarantee that you're the hero Zekrom is looking for, but to be honest, Ash? I wouldn't be surprised if it was you."

Ash looked off to the side, embarrassed. "T-thanks. And I definitely WANT to get Team Plasma back for what they've done to everyone...Pikachu, my mom, Dawn...but I don't know how to just go find Zekrom or something. N said they were reduced to sort of...weakened state or something."

Ash and Cynthia paused for a moment, lost in thought, not at all helped that their minds were still fogged with worry for their companions. But before long, Nurse Joy emerged from the room and cleared her throat, making the two look up.

"So, what's their condition?" Cynthia asked.

"Well..." Nurse Joy began, "Alder seems to be in okay condition. Nothing broken, he just took a beating from Team Plasma. It's evident he was blocking as many Pokemon attacks with his own body as he could in order to keep his team fighting as long as possible. He has some teeth marks on him, and a few slight burns, but he should be up and moving soon."

Nurse Joy turned to Ash. Ash gulped. "And what about Dawn?"

"First off, she's very lucky that she's not in worse condition, if even alive. From that height, depending on how she landed, she could easily have died or become paralyzed." The nurse explained, "From what I can tell, she landed on her side, and most of the impact was to her right arm, which is broken. I've contacted League Officials, they'll send a doctor to patch her up. Other than that, she'll need to rest up for a few days so we can verify nothing else is wrong with her. Make sure her mind or memory wasn't effected from the impact."

Ash bit his lip. "So...she's going to be okay?"

Nurse Joy nodded. "We believe so. Physically, and mentally at least. That must have been emotionally traumatizing, so we'll have to keep an eye on her once she comes out of it. If all goes well, she will be up and mobile, but she'll need to be in a cast for a few weeks for her arm. She could still command her Pokemon, of course, but as far as continuing this quest while in a cast? I wouldn't medically recommend it, but the Champion's decision regarding that trumps my own."

Ash let out a huge sigh of relief. "Whatever she goes through when she wakes up, I swear I'll help her through it."

Nurse Joy and Cynthia both smiled at the boy's resolve. "I'm sure you will, Ash." Nurse Joy replied.

"With someone like you to look out for her, Ash, I'm sure she'll be alright." Cynthia reassured the young man.

The Nurse then turned back to Cynthia. "While I was examining, a call came in from Wallace. He says it's urgent. Please, contact him immediately."

Cynthia looked surprised, but took off to another room to contact the League's Mission Control.

"Can I go in there and see her?" Ash asked Nurse Joy, pleadingly.

"Yes, of course." Nurse Joy answered, softly. "Just be careful not to touch her right arm; it needs to remain still until a doctor can arrive to operate on it."

And so Ash sat with Dawn. He had no way of knowing how much time had passed, but he really didn't care. He absentmindedly began stroking her hair as he watched her breathe gently, pangs of guilt washing over his very being.

_Dawn's been helping me this whole time, doing nothing but supporting me._ Ash lamented, _She said I was her hero...but I couldn't save her this time. I swear Dawn, I won't let N get away with this. This was the final straw. _As he concluded his thoughts he leaned over and kissed her forehead. _I love you Dawn. _

Cynthia entered the room with a stern look on her face. "Ash...you and I are going to have to leave Dawn and Alder in the care of a few Gym Leaders."

Ash stood up, and couldn't help but feel angry. Leaving Dawn's side was just about the last thing he wanted to do. Not after all she'd been through. "Why? Now what?"

Sensing his anger, Cynthia cut directly to the point. "Do you want to get Zekrom and fight back?"

Ash growled and nodded. "If N wants me to fight fire with fire, I'll do it. He'll regret this."

"Fine. Elesa, Burgh, and Clay will be here shortly. Then you and I need to leave. I'll...leave you to say goodbye to Dawn. But please, meet me outside in the Waiting Area shortly." Cynthia replied, turning and walking out. By the air she carried herself in, Ash could tell she meant business.

Ash looked over at Dawn's form. He glanced at the hat laying next to her. _I'll leave it for her. And I should write her a note, like she did for me..._

* * *

><p>Once Ash had finished, he geared up in his normal clothes and met with Cynthia in the Waiting Room. "Cut right to the point Cynthia, what's so urgent?"<p>

Cynthia frowned. "Wallace has a lead on the dormant form of Zekrom."

"Great, where do we have to go to get him?" Ash replied, his taste for revenge flaring up.

Cynthia sighed. "Is it ever that simple, Ash?"

Ash groaned and facepalmed. "There's a problem, isn't there?"

Cynthia nodded. "Well, Wallace received a call from Lenora, about another break in at the museum that happened tonight while we were busy with...well, all this."

"Team Plasma go back for the Dragon Skull?" Ash asked.

Cynthia shook her head. "No. The Black Stone was stolen. You know, that thing that was originally a diversion for us?"

Ash's eyes widened. "No way. A rock? Why is that important?"

"Supposedly, it wasn't. But after seeing the technology that Team Plasma used on the Dragon Skull...Team Rocket developed something similar." Cynthia continued, a slight frustration rising in her voice. "They used a similar device to analyze _every exhibit _in the Pokemon wing. How they managed to sneak in and plant those type of things, I have no clue... And apparently, the Black Stone gives a genetic structure reminiscent of both a dragon and an electric type Pokemon...like Zekrom."

"Team Rocket has Zekrom?" Ash stated, bewildered. In the events of the last two days, he had completely forgotten Team Rocket was at odds against both groups as well.

Cynthia growled. "If the technology these teams are using is correct, then yes. Luckily for us, Lenora's a smart Gym Leader. After the heist we foiled, she attached tracking devices on everything in that wing. Team Rocket must have found it before entering their base, because it went offline somewhere around the Saffron Area of Kanto."

Ash groaned again. "So we need to go to Kanto, get the Black Stone back from ANOTHER criminal organization, come back here, find a way to wake Zekrom up, and lead him into battle against Team Plasma? Yeah sure, that doesn't sound impossible in the slightest."

Cynthia paused at the sarcastic remark from Ash. But she could see something burning in his eyes. An intense passion to finish what he started. "But will you do it?" Cynthia asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course I'll do it!" Ash yelled in frustration, surprising not only Cynthia but himself, "I'm in too deep to turn back now! After everything they've done, I could never let myself walk away. They blew up my friend's house, they put my mother in a coma, they kidnapped my best friend, they had another person I totally trusted end up being the one to try and kill me, and to top it all off, they almost killed Dawn, who has done nothing but selflessly support me through this whole Arceus-damn thing! And she nearly died, FOR ME. She did all this for me, for no good reason."

Cynthia closed her eyes and contemplated something. _I know I said I wouldn't, but he needs to hear this_. "Ash, she loves you. That's plenty reason."

Ash blinked in surprise. "What?"

Cynthia didn't look at him. "She told me. She told me after you drowned. She loves you."

Ash looked to his feet. His heart almost felt like it stopped for a moment as the words washed over him like a tidal wave. _That girl loves me. She almost died because she loves me enough to put herself out there like this. _

At first Cynthia stepped forward to comfort him, but Ash surprised her completely when he looked up at her, seething in anger.

"WELL I LOVE HER TOO, DAMNIT! SO I'M GOING TO DESTROY THEM!" He screamed, visibly furious. He lowered his voice slightly, "I accept N's challenge. I will lead Zekrom and tear down Team Plasma if it's the last thing I do."

Cynthia grinned. "Keep that fire burning in your belly. Because we're leaving tonight."

* * *

><p>Before long, Clay, Elesa, and Burgh arrived. Unfortunately for Ash, they brought Cilan with them as well, who wanted to use this as an opportunity to redeem himself. They agreed to stand guard for Alder and Dawn as long as it took. Leaving special instructions, Cynthia went to lead Ash to a back room, but first, Ash stopped in front of Cilan. But he wouldn't face the older boy. His body was still turned to the side away from the Gym Leader.<p>

"...are you really sorry for what you did?" Ash asked, not looking at Cilan.

"More than you could ever know, Ash." Cilan answered, in an undeniably heartfelt way.

"...then promise me nothing will happen to Dawn. Promise me, and I may be able to forgive you one day." He replied.

"I promise." Cilan replied without hesitation. "I'll do whatever it takes to atone for my crimes, Ash. No one will hurt the young lady."

"...I trust you." Ash said, before walking away. "Don't make me regret that."

Once in the back room, Cynthia flicked on the light switch. The entire back wall was a giant electronic contraption that encompassed most of the room.

"What on earth is this?" Ash asked, incredulously.

Cynthia thought of how to answer the question, before settling on, "...remember when you guessed to Wallace that the Pokemon League had secret teleportation devices?"

Ash stared at her in amazement. "...You're kidding." He deadpanned.

Cynthia shook her head. "No...we have them, but we don't like to use them unless it's a dire emergency. You see, they take up giant amounts of electrical energy, and if there is any sort of alternative - like flying Pidgeots for example - that can get the same job done, we tend to use that. But this? I think this sets us up for an emergency use."

"So...wow. That's...incredible." Ash mused.

Cynthia instructed him to step inside. Ash opened a glass door and entered in a small metal chamber no bigger than coat closet. He felt a tingling sensation, and a force push him violently out of the glass door. As he sprawled out on the ground, Cynthia walked out of the chamber as well a few seconds later.

"I probably should have warned you about that." Cynthia said, smirking slightly.

Ash picked himself up and straightened up his clothes. "Would have been nice, yeah. So where are we?"

"We're under the Saffron City Gym. Come on, I want to ask Sabrina if she can sense anything odd in the city." Cynthia instructed.

_It feels like it's been forever since I've been here._ Ash thought as he followed Cynthia up the stairs, to the main area of the gym. They arrived in that battle arena portion of Sabrina's gym to find her meditating with her Alakazam. The two were seated side by side on the gym floor, in silence. _I wonder if Sabrina has changed since I last saw her. As long as she's still not really creepy, I'm cool with that._

"I foresaw your arrival." Sabrina said, without opening her eyes, or moving from her seated position.

Cynthia just rolled her eyes. "Really? The text message I sent you twenty minutes ago wasn't a huge tip-off, was it?"

Ash snickered. At this sound, Sabrina's eyes popped open and she smiled. "Ah, Ash. It's so good to see you! How have you been?"

"I've...been better." Ash said uneasily.

Sabrina nodded. "Indeed. Your strong Aura capabilities resonate with my psychic ones; I can see a great pain lingers in your heart. You've had a lot of weight flung on your shoulders for someone so young."

"Oh...right. I forgot my Aura allows for psychic...stuff." Ash answered, purposely choosing not to address the things he'd been through recently. He didn't want to talk about it much. He had failed to protect Pikachu. He failed to protect Dawn. And all he could do was keep going and fight back before he failed anyone else.

Cynthia looked at Ash in surprise. "You have Aura abilities?"

"Oh. Yeah. Why, is that important?" Ash asked, dumbfounded.

Sabrina sweatdropped and Cynthia facepalmed. "I mean, we could have maybe figured out a use for them." Cynthia snapped. "Any other huge secrets you're keeping? Not secretly keeping a Suicune with you? Power to turn invisible?"

Ash shrugged. "I...can't really control them very well. It hasn't been useful for me before, save when I first learned about it. And no, I don't think so."

"We can discuss that later. Sabrina, we have reason to believe-" Cynthia began, but the Gym Leader cut her off.

"Team Rocket, right? Yeah, they're here. They're cooped up in the Silph Company building, top floor. Since it's after hours, no employees are there to try and stop them. Go now, and you'll be able to get up to the top before they start leaking down and taking over the whole building in a hostile manner. Want me to come with you? My psychic powers would make this way easier on you." Sabrina asked.

Cynthia blinked. "I hate when you do that."

Sabrina smirked. "That's why I do it. But if you want some extra firepower, I can come with you. And being able to sense those in the area around me will just make avoiding Team Rocket agents easier."

Cynthia thought about this for a second. "We'll need someone to remain outside for backup though. I would say yes if we had some surrounding Gym Leaders on standby."

Sabrina pointed at herself and grinned. "Psychic, remember? I contacted Lieutenant Surge, Misty, and Erika, and they are surrounding the city. I saw all this coming earlier today and contacted them."

"So...can you tell if we're going to win?" Ash asked, awestruck at her powerful her clairvoyance was.

Sabrina shook her head. "No, despite my training, so many things in life are shrouded in mystery. Everything beyond absolute certainty is hazy to me, as many things in regards to the future are yet to be determined."

Cynthia was rubbing her chin. "We need to be sneaky for this. The more people with us, the harder it will be to go unnoticed, but we would have more Pokemon with us. I'm not sure which tradeoff will be more valuable in the long run."

"Think of it this way. I can always have Alakazam use Hypnosis on anyone we run into. Come on Cynthia, I haven't had a good challenger for days, I'm itching to get out there." Sabrina pleaded.

Ash snickered. Sabrina had really changed after he and his Haunter had gotten through to her way back on his first journey through Kanto. It was a good change to see, much better than capturing losers and stealing their souls.

Cynthia sighed. "Alright, the pros outweigh the cons on this. Besides, Team Rocket tends to primarily use Poison type Pokemon. Do you have everything you...why am I asking, you're psychic, you've probably been ready for hours, haven't you?"

Sabrina smirked and quipped, "Hey, you're catching on."

* * *

><p>Pikachu posed, ready. His body stiffened up, and he charged himself up with as much electricity as he could. After overhearing N and Ghetsis, the two had taken off with whoever had made the announcement in regards to Zekrom. It was then Pikachu had decided: he was escaping and going back to help Ash. He couldn't stand to be near N for one more second.<p>

With limited resources and knowledge of what was beyond N's walls, Pikachu didn't have much of a plan, admittedly. But he had to give it a shot. He wasn't going to sit around anymore.

His ears picked up the sound of someone coming down the hall. Two voices were talking once more, and the Electric Mouse Pokemon recognized them as N and Ghetsis.

"...so, that's the plan?" N asked.

"Indeed," Ghetsis replied, "I hate to leave things up to fate, but no matter how it pans out, we can quickly retaliate once it's clear who the victor is. It's lucky that we have some undercover thugs within Team Rocket. Then we can monitor the situation, and react accordingly."

"What do you think will happen, father?" N asked.

"Knowing how foolhardy the boy and the Sinnoh Champion are, I have no doubt they will try and strike tonight before Team Rocket can accomplish anything. Be prepared to leave at the drop of a hat, lad."

Pikachu heard the click of the doorknob turning. He sparked his cheeks, and braced himself.

N and Ghetsis opened the door, and Pikachu made his move; he unleashed the biggest Thunderbolt he could muster, shocking both members of Team Plasma and blasting them back into the hallway against the wall.

With phase one of his plan completed, Pikachu quickly enacted phase two of his plan: run.

And run he did. Pikachu quickly bolted down the hallway and made a right turn. He looked like he was in some sort of royal palace, or something of that effect. The large hallways had doors on each side, very similar to the ones that had lead to N's room. Pikachu ignored all of these, looking for something that at least seemed more obvious.

By now, N and Ghetsis managed to groggily get back up, and began shouting for the guards to capture the rogue Pikachu.

Various human guards and their Pokemon appeared from the rooms and in the halls to try and capture Pikachu, but he used Agility to evade most of them. Finally, he reached a staircase leading down to a lower level of the castle. Unfortunately, there was a large crowd of Watchogs waiting for him at the bottom.

_Like I'm going down without a fight..._ Pikachu thought smugly. He made a flying leap over the group, and fired another massive Thunderbolt attack down on them. When he landed behind the group, they were still momentarily stunned, allowing him to keep running. He darted between the legs of their Plasma Grunts who, kept fumbling around trying to grab the stubborn Electric Type.

"All Krokoroks use Earthquake!" Came Ghetsis' booming voice from the stairs.

At the command, the hallway began to shake, tripping up Pikachu, who was then hit by the attack for massive damage. Particularly ruthless was this command from Ghetsis, because many of the Grunts were injured in the attack as well.

Before blacking out, Pikachu saw Ghetsis standing over him. "Well now...this won't do at all."

_This can't be good..._ was the last thing Pikachu remembered going through his mind before everything went dark.

* * *

><p>Sabrina locked down the gym, and the trio took to the near-empty streets of Saffron City. It was almost midnight, so most of the crowds that usually swarmed Saffron were now retired to their homes, though a few weary trainers were still making their way into town heading for a Pokemon Center<p>

"All your Pokemon were healed up before you got here, right?" Sabrina asked the two as they rounded the corner to the Silph Company building.

Cynthia and Ash nodded. "Yes, they were taken care of by some of the staff in Nimbasa while Dawn and Alder were being examined." Cynthia replied.

Sabrina frowned. "Good. I can't foresee exactly how this is going to go...but it seems like it's going to be tricky."

They approached the front of the building. Cynthia pointed out how the security cameras in the front of the building had been attacked and knocked off the ground. "We'll need to keep an eye out for hostages. There shouldn't be many, but we need to get them out of there as well."

Cynthia turned to Ash. "Are you ready to take down Team Rocket?"

Ash's face turned stone-serious. "Are you kidding? These guys have been bothering me since the very beginning of my journey, trying to steal Pikachu. Now, I get to steal a Pokemon from them. This is long overdue."

Sabrina grasped the Pokeball containing her Alakazam. "Anyone we sneak up on can easily be subdued with Hypnosis. The move is much more powerful on humans, so it will keep anyone out of our hair for a few hours, at least. We have six hours before anyone is scheduled to arrive here for their shift. We need to be quick. If we're successful, we may be able to get Team Rocket out of this building before business hours."

Trying the obvious solution first, Cynthia grabbed the door and pulled, but it was locked. "Well well, I'm surprised they were smart enough to at least lock the door behind them. You seem to have all the answers, Sabrina, how do you get in?" The Champion asked somewhat smugly.

"Pfft. I got this." Sabrina pulled an electronic key-card from her pocket and swiped it in the card-reader next to the door. There was a clicking noise and the door opened.

"Let me guess," Cynthia asked, dryly, "you saw this coming weeks ago and stole one of those for the occasion."

Sabrina blushed - a really bizarre looking sight, for Ash - and answered, "Er...no. I'm dating one of the employees and sometimes we like to sneak in to uh..." She nervously glanced at Ash and then back at Cynthia, "...do adult things." She added air-quotes to the last part, rather embarrassed to talk about that in front of a ten-year-old.

"...Like have sex?" Ash asked in monotone. Both women jumped at how straightforward he was and sweatdropped.

Ash facepalmed. "My mom gave me the whole ' The Pidgey's and the Beedrills' talk before I went on my journey."

"...okay, well, none of this is really relevant right now, so let's be serious and pretend this whole uncomfortable conversation never happened." Cynthia said, slightly disturbed.

Ash gritted his teeth. "Sounds fine to me." He was only concerned with getting Zekrom so he could defeat N. Under normal circumstances, he would have been embarrassed to have admitted such a nothing to the two attractive, older women. But tonight was different. Tonight, he was a man with a purpose.

As the three entered the building, Cynthia whispered to Sabrina, "You're disgusting. In an office? Really?"

"You're a prude." Sabrina quipped back.

_Adults are weird._ Ash mused in his mind.

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, on the top floor of the building, Giovanni had other means of keeping tabs on the Silph Building. A Rocket Grunt entered the room and whispered the news to leader of the criminal organization.<p>

"Hmm. League here already? Well, no matter." He mused aloud, petting the Persian on his lap. The cat Pokemon purred calmly.

He leaned forward and hit a button on the intercom. "Jessie, we seem to have an intrusion from the Pokemon League. Take everyone not researching the Black Stone, and set up our defensive strategy immediately. Failure will not be tolerated."

"Yes sir." Came Jessie's voice through the speaker.

Giovanni chuckled to himself. "Hmm...sooner than I expected. No matter...by the this time tomorrow, the world will belong to Team Rocket. And I'll be damned if any Champion will stop me..."

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter.<strong>


	10. Surrender

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 10: Surrender**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

* * *

><p>"They know we're here." Sabrina stated quietly to Ash and Cynthia, not ten feet from the entrance of the Silph Company building.<p>

Cynthia facepalmed. "How'd we screw this up already?"

Sabrina shook her head. "They had some sort of sensor in place for when employees began entering. They don't know where we are, but if we move quickly and quietly, we should be okay. Come, follow my lead."

Sabrina led Ash and Cynthia over to the reception desk, and the three quickly jumped behind it.

Despite how serious the situation was, Sabrina turned to Ash with an almost childish smile and asked, "Can you feel it Ash? With your Aura, can't you sense how many of them are coming down to the first level?"

Cynthia was almost beside herself when she heard this and whispered, "You idiot, now's not the time to -"

"Shut up! We'll be fine, trust me." Sabrina hissed back. She turned back to Ash. "Close your eyes. Focus. See not with your eyes but your mind. I can't tell why but...you need to learn to master your Aura. It will be very important for you later."

"I don't know, Cynthia's right, we should probably -" Ash began, but Sabrina growled, "Just do it" threateningly.

So, for whatever reason, Ash closed his eyes and tried to focus on the stairs of the Silph building. He managed to push everything out of his mind until it was just that staircase. He vaguely thought he saw three blue blobs against the blackness of his eyelids.

"I don't know, I think I saw three blobs or something." He replied, snapping his eyes open. _Now I'm just starting to get nervous. I really wish she would focus on finding Zekrom and not being my so-called mentor._

"Good call, because there are three Grunts coming down. And before either of you freak out, we just need to be silent, and I'll call out Alakazam to put them to sleep. We'll be fine." Sabrina whispered coolly.

_Holy crap, did I really use my Aura?_ Ash thought to himself.

He nearly jumped when he heard Sabrina's voice in his mind: _Yeah, you did! Good job!_

Ash gave her an incredulous look. Sabrina just winked at him. _Yes, I can communicate with you telepathically, because you have Aura. Cool, huh? Kind of gives you and I an advantage for the whole, "sneaking around quietly," thing. Aura users have a lot of untapped potential for their mind...you two coming to my gym was fate. I think I was meant to help you, if only a little._

_I don't think I'm comfortable with you invading my brain,_ Ash thought nervously, _even if you're trying to help._

_Why? I won't snoop around. But it's cute that you have such strong feelings for whoever this Dawn girl is. You're growing up so fast. And I won't tell Cynthia about that dream you had about her that one time; maybe you're growing up too fast._ Sabrina replied

_What? You just snooped around! That's the opposite of what you said you would do! Get out!_ Ash thought, cringing.

"They're coming down the stairs now." Sabrina whispered to the two, an amused smirk on her face, "Just stay completely quiet, and I'll do the rest."

True to Ash's prediction, three Rocket Grunts came barreling down the stairs and began searching the area with flashlights. After a few moments, one of the Grunts called out to the other two, "You don't think they're already upstairs, do you?"

Another one answered. "Who knows. They couldn't have gotten too far, since the boss cut off the elevators."

"Alright guys, check this out." Sabrina whispered. She threw a Pokeball containing Alakazam over the side of the counter, and grunted, "Alakazam, use Flash!"

The powerful Psychic type Pokemon did as it was told, creating a temporary light that blinded all three grunts.

"Follow up with Hypnosis, Alakazam!" The Gym Leader commanded.

It did as such, and when Cynthia, Sabrina, and Ash emerged from under the desk, all three Team Rocket Grunts were passed out, snoring loudly.

"Good work." Cynthia stated.

Sabrina recalled her Alakazam. "Thank you. Now, follow me. I should be able to pinpoint where the Grunts are located."

"Gee, I didn't know being psychic made you a living surveillance system." Ash remarked dryly.

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous."

"Less talking, more finding Zekrom." Cynthia stated, losing her patience. "The faster we get back to Unova, the faster we can make sure nothing happens to Dawn and Alder."

A wave of seriousness swept over Ash's expression, and his eyes grew cold. "Right."

The three trainers entered the stairwell that the Grunts had come down from. The stairs went up from the ground to the thirtieth story, which was the top. Before Ash started climbing, Sabrina grabbed his shirt collar with her eyes shut. "Hold it."

"You see something?" Cynthia asked.

After a few seconds, the psychic nodded. "Rocket Grunts are stationed throughout the building on each floor at this point, and will periodically patrol the stairwell. We can probably make it up seven stories without being noticed, but will need to duck into the 8th floor in order not to get caught by the one coming down the stairs on patrol."

"Can you see where they have the Black Stone?" Cynthia asked.

Sabrina shook her head. "My vision starts fading around the 10th floor. It's somewhere above there, but other than that, we'll need to get closer before I can figure anything out."

Ash and Cynthia nodded and followed the Gym Leader up the stairs. Upon finally reaching the 8th floor, they quietly opened the door and rushed in, as they could hear someone coming down the stairs from about two levels above.

Ash leaned forward and clutched his knees to catch his breath, which earned him a hurried "Shh!" from both female companions. He drew a deep sigh before straightening himself out.

Sabrina closed her eyes and concentrated. "Only two Grunts on this floor. Best course of action would be to rough them up and see what they know about the Black Stone."

The floor was made up of what could be best described as a sea of cubicles. They reached a split of a pathway down them to the left, and another path leading straightforward.

"Cynthia, you and Ash go left; stay at the last cubicle to the right, because a Grunt will turn down the passageway at the other end. Attack him with a Pokemon, but don't knock him out completely. I'll get the one who will be round the corner ahead of us. Move!" Sabrina directed before rushing forward.

Ash and Cynthia rushed down their passage way before ducking into the last cubicle, as instructed.

"I'm kind of glad we brought her, this would be way harder without her." Ash whispered to the Champion.

"Yeah, I guess. I hear after some kid beat her a while ago, she's been acting so insufferable to relive her childhood or something. I'd like to give that kid a piece of my mind, she's so unbearable this way. Not that she was better before..." Cynthia mumbled.

Ash gulped nervously. _Heh...er, good thing Cynthia can't read minds._

As they heard the Rocket Grunt approach, Ash called out his Sceptile and whispered to it, "When the Rocket Grunt rounds the corner, knock him down with a Bullet Seed so we can question him."

Sceptile nodded and crouched in position.

While they waited, Ash decided to try what Sabrina had focused. He focused on where the Grunt was behind the cubicle. Despite having a wall between them, Ash thought, if he concentrated hard enough, he could see a faint red glow from beyond the physical barrier. It walked the same path as the Grunt, who quickly emerged into their view-

"Hey, what are you -GAH!" The Grunt yelled as he was pelted by Sceptile's Bullet Seed.

Cynthia, quick as a Skitty, handcuffed the Grunt. As soon as she finished, Sabrina marched over with Alakazam, who was levitating a sleeping Grunt behind her.

"I ain't saying nothing." The Rocket Grunt spat out as he was surrounded by Ash, Cynthia, and Sabrina.

"You never do when we first catch you." Cynthia replied dryly, "Sabrina, take Ash down the hall a bit, would you?"

The tone in her voice made both Sabrina and Ash slightly nervous so they obliged right away. They waited by the stairwell, hand clutches around their Pokeballs in case anyone decided to enter that floor. They heard a few muffled screams coming from where they had just been.

"What is she –" Ash began to ask, but Sabrina just gave him a stern look, making Ash stop mid-sentence.

"You don't want to know, Ash." She replied grimly

"I'll uh…take your word for it." He remarked.

Cynthia walked over to them a few minutes later. "It's on floor twenty-three." She stated casually.

"What about that Rocket Grunt?" Ash asked.

Cynthia wouldn't meet his gaze. "I took care of him, don't worry."

Ash figured he would leave it at that. _They deserve whatever they get anyways…_

* * *

><p>On the top floor, a knock came at the door to the executive's office.<p>

"Enter." Giovanni demanded, not bothering to look up from his laptop.

A Team Rocket Grunt entered the room. "Sir, we have confirmation that the intruders are aware of the Black Stones location. Among them is the Gym Leader for Saffron. They are being aided by her psychic abilities being able to pinpoint our locations."

Giovanni gave an exasperated sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "They would put the psychic in the same town as the company with the best technology, wouldn't they? Utterly ridiculous. Move all personnel to my floor and floor twenty-three, and have them on guard. They are not leaving here with the Black Stone."

The Rocket Grunt saluted, "Yes sir," and rushed out of the door to carry out his orders.

Giovanni sighed and stood up with his Persian. "Why is it that I must constantly be surrounded by incompetence?"

* * *

><p>Before entering the stairwell, Sabrina paused and grabbed her forehead like something had just smacked it. "Whoa."<p>

Ash and Cynthia paused and turned to the psychic. "Change in the situation?" Cynthia asked.

Sabrina nodded. "They know that we're aware of where the Black Stone is. I don't know how, but they must be bugging these Grunts. They're all shifting positions to the twenty-third flood, and the thirtieth floor, where the leader resides."

"Well, so much for stealth." Cynthia sighed, "How many are there?"

"I'll need to move up a few floors to see." Sabrina stated. "But Team Rocket has a lot of numbers. We'll need a plan."

The trio entered the stairwell and ascended to the twentieth floor. Exhausted, they entered that floor to find it empty, just as Sabrina had seen. As they caught their breath, Sabrina sat down to meditate, as it would allow her to "see" more clearly.

"There are roughly fifty of them. Each armed with six Pokemon. We're going to be severely outmatched if we charge head on. Several Pokemon are already facing the door to the stairwell with directions to attack on sight." Sabrina deduced.

"Damn." Cynthia swore angrily, "We can't seem to get ahead of either of these groups."

"Well, they're both full crime organizations that have been around for years, with scientists to analyze everything. We're a Champion, a Gym Leader, and a ten year old." Sabrina replied.

Ash paced nervously. _I'm not leaving without the Black Stone._

"I have an idea." He said suddenly. "They're watching the stairwell, right?"

Sabrina nodded.

Ash grinned. "Then we'll just have to take the elevator."

Cynthia facepalmed. "Ash, they said it was cut off."

Ash shook his head. "Oh, I know. We can get around that."

Without waiting for their approval, he ran over to the elevator door. He released Charizard, Krokorok, and Palpitoad.

"Charizard, Krokorok, hoist the door open, please." Ash asked of the two. They nodded and with little effort, pried the doors open.

"Alright, Palpitoad, use Mud Shot on the doors to make sure they stick open." Ash then commanded.

"Palp!" The dual Water and Ground type exclaimed happily, shooting a small mud glob at each door so that they wouldn't budge.

"Alright, I see what you're driving at. What's the rest of your plan?" Cynthia asked, rather impressed at the boy's ingenuity.

"Simple…" Ash said, beginning his explanation.

* * *

><p>Cilan sat in the waiting room of the League Location in an uncomfortable silence. The other Gym Leaders were sitting around as well, watching television or discussing things with each other. But not him. The most he got was an unsure look or aside glance every once in awhile.<p>

_Not that I blame them, _he lamented, _I was the traitor, after all._

It didn't really bother him at this point; he was there on a mission. He was there to redeem himself. And he would continue to do so, no matter what it took.

There was a rumbling noise on the main level of the Pokemon Center above them that made the Gym Leaders all look up somewhat anxiously. They quickly grabbed their Pokeballs and stood up, eyeing the stairway that was normally hidden under a secret panel in the floor of the main level.

The rumbling paused for a brief second. But before they could relax, the floor panel opened up, and a bound and gagged Nurse Joy was tossed down the stairs.

With quick reflexes, Clay ran forward and made a diving grab at the Nurse before she hit the ground. He looked up to see five sages from Team Plasma descending down the stairs.

Clay quickly rushed over to set Nurse Joy on the couch. As he worked to free her, Cilan, Burgh and Elesa all released their Pokemon. Clay's followed shortly after.

"We are the remaining sages of Team Plasma." One of them stated calmly. "We have no reason to cause you harm. Leave now and you will be spared. Such is the will of Lord N."

All four Gym Leaders looked at each other.

"Did you really think we'd make it that easy?" Clay asked angrily.

And so, the five sages sent out all their Pokemon, and the battle had begun.

* * *

><p>"Just give me the signal, Ash." Cynthia said from atop her Garchomp. It was grabbing onto the Elevator cables, positions right outside elevator door on the twenty third floor.<p>

Below her, Ash's Charizard flapped his wings gently to hover, waiting patiently for the attack to begin. Sabrina was on his back as well, coaching Ash.

"Focus. See the essence of a person. See their position without looking. Feel it." She advised, whispering into Ash's ear.

It had begun to work. He saw various blobs of color all over the twenty-third floor of the Silph Building. He just had to wait for them to line up as much as possible.

"They're spread out too much. See if you can make some sort of noise to attract them to the elevator door." Ash said without opening his eyes.

Cynthia nodded and pulled some spare change out of her pocket, and threw it against the elevator door, making an obnoxious clattering sound that echoed through the elevator shaft.

An audible rush could be heard as Team Rocket Grunts approached the elevator shaft with their Pokemon, trying to figure out what the noise was.

In his mind, Ash saw all the blobs of color representing a person gather around the door, so close they were almost forming one giant blob.

"Now." He said to Cynthia, snapping his eyes open.

"Hyper Beam, Garchomp." Cynthia commanded.

The dragon obliged and fired the laser into the door. On the other side, true to Ash's plan, the door blew off its tracks. The beam blasted through waves of Team Rocket Grunts and their Pokemon, and whatever ones didn't get hit were quickly blown backwards from sheer force of impact and debris.

Garchomp and Cynthia jumped onto the floor, quickly followed by Ash, Charizard, and Sabrina. Before any Grunts could attack however, Alakazam was called out and unleashed a blinding Flash in the area.

When vision returned to the remaining members of Team Rocket, Charizard was mowing down a group of Weezing and Golbats with Flamethrower, while Alakazam had used Psychic to knock out Arboks one at a time. While Garchomp was recovering from the Hyper Beam, Cynthia had called out her Togekiss and commanded it to use Psychic as well.

Once all the Team Rocket Grunts that had not initially been knocked out scrambled to their feet, it became clear that they were now severely outmatched as a small pile of Team Rocket Pokemon lay defeated before Ash, Cynthia, and Sabrina.

Garchomp charged another Hyper Beam as Cynthia growled, "Anyone who doesn't want to get attacked, on the ground, hands behind your backs."

The remaining Team Rocket Grunts did as they were told and obeyed the demands of the Sinnoh Champion.

With creative use of office supplies, Ash, Cynthia, and Sabrina tied up all the Team Rocket Grunts. "Now, which one of you wants to tell us where the Black Stone is on this floor?" The champion asked menacingly.

A clapping sound came from the back of the floor. The trio turned around to see a grizzled looking man in a lab coat. The Black Stone was tucked under his arm as he applauded them.

"Very impressive work." The old man said sarcastically.

"Doctor Zager!" Ash yelled angrily, "I should have figured we would run into you at some point."

"Yes, in retrospect, you probably should have." The doctor said, not sounding very impressed at all. It was particularly jarring for Ash, considering Togekiss, Garchomp, Charizard, and Alakazam were all poised and ready to attack.

Zager did take note of this, and brandished a small electronic remote from his pocket. He pressed a button on it, and a small screeching noise could be heard.

At first it was just a minor annoyance to the humans, but Sabrina noticed the Pokemon beginning to thrash around as if they were in pain.

"Wh-what's happening to your Pokemon?" Cynthia yelled in surprise.

Doctor Zager chuckled slightly. "Team Rocket has been studying the effects that radio waves can have on Pokemon. We've found many interesting things, actually. Some radio waves can emit frequencies so great that it can make a Magikarp evolve into a Gyarados. This wave, however, causes great anguish to Pokemon, so I would suggest returning them to their Pokeballs while we discuss things."

_Damn them…_ Ash thought as he, as well as Cynthia and Sabrina, returned their companions to spare them the pain.

"Now then," Doctor Zager continued, "Heading down are some Team Rocket executives to deal with you. You see, we knew you would have much more powerful Pokemon. So, they tasked me to find a way to take that out of the equation. All knowledge of the Black Stone has been sent upstairs to the boss. We win."

Cynthia, however, sported a devious smirk as she noticed a hole in the plan.

"So they aren't here yet?" Cynthia asked, a hint of malice in her voice.

At the realization of what the Champion was implying, Doctor Zager gasped at the large error in his plans and began to step away.

But it was too late. All the running Cynthia had done with her Pokemon had paid off; she dashed over to the doctor and punched him in the face. As he stumbled backwards, Cynthia grabbed his arm and positioned herself behind him. She quickly pulled a knife out from her longcoat and held it to his throat.

Ash jumped in surprise at this. He had no clue that Cynthia had been carrying her own weapon. But remembering back to the events at Pinwheel Forest, he quickly recovered from the shock. _I guess I should have probably asked for something to protect myself with too._

"Drop the device." Cynthia demanded. "And kick it to Sabrina."

The Doctor did as he was told, carefully making sure not to move his neck in anyway.

"Good boy." The Champion continued, "Now, tell her which button shuts off the waves."

"Th-the green one, third row from the top." Doctor Zager stuttered out.

_Amazing how fast they lose their calm attitude when things start going wrong for them_. Ash noted. As Sabrina hit the button, he breathed a sigh of relief as the screeching noise stopped.

"Very good. Ash, Sabrina, get behind me and release your Pokemon. And if you could, release mine. My hands are a little full." Cynthia asked, eyes not leaving her blade.

* * *

><p>The battle had been long and drawn out, but the Sages seemed to have wised up since being shown up by Alder. They had disposed of each and every Pokemon that Cilan, Elesa, Clay, and Burgh had. The Gym Leaders were the next to fall, each going down from an attack by a Pokemon.<p>

Save for Cilan. Cilan had been hit by a Shadow Ball, and blown back towards the door to Alder and Dawn's room. But he still used the last of his strength to stand up and throws his body over the door. The five present sages advanced on him with a pack of Liepards.

"Move, traitor." One of the Sages commanded in a booming voice. "We have no use for you."

Cilan growled. "No. No one gets in this room."

"We will not ask you beyond this. Move, or you will killed for the good of Team Plasma and the liberation of all Pokemon." Another Sage demanded.

Cilan gave a defiant grin. "I made a promise. Besides…even the best prepared dishes have an expiration date."

"A senseless sacrifice. Night Slash, Liepards." A third Sage replied, sounding exhausted.

* * *

><p>Four Rocket Executives rushed down the stairs, all very eager to snatch one of the regional Champions. Of course, their excited expressions dropped when they exited the stairwell to find a small army of Pokemon waiting for them, lead by the Champion herself. Behind her, Sabrina had taken up to holding a knife to the throat of Doctor Zager.<p>

Before any of them could speak, Cynthia barked an order to them: "No words. I want whatever security measures you have to get into the executive office. Keycards, security codes, now. One move, The doctor and everything he knows about the Black Stone dies."

The Rocket Executives all glanced at each other nervously.

"You have three seconds." Cynthia added.

"You're bluffing." One of the executives said angrily.

"Three...two…" Cynthia began counting down.

The executives did not budge, and Doctor Zager made an odd, whimpering sound from fear.

"…one. Ash?" Cynthia finished her countdown.

There was one Pokemon missing from all those that were facing the executives. No, Ash had held on to one Pokeball, and was hiding inside one of the cubicles that was right next to the entrance to the stairs. At Cynthia's signal, he threw his last remaining Pokeball into the air.

Snorlax was released directly over the Team Rocket Executives. He fell on top of each one, knocking each out.

Ash quickly recalled the giant, and he and Cynthia looted the pockets of the executives, grabbing some key cards that they would need to access the chief office of the Silph building.

"Alright, I think we have everything we need to invade. Sabrina?" Cynthia stated.

The psychic nodded. She quickly pulled the knife back and bashed Doctor Zager in the back of the head with its hilt, knocking the man out. Ash's Palpitoad used Mud Shot on all the members of Team Rocket to make sure they weren't going anywhere. As they began to leave, Ash shoved the Black Stone in his backpack.

Ash, Cynthia, and Sabrina all made the final climb up to the thirtieth floor of the Silph Building. On the twenty-ninth floor, they paused so Sabrina could take a reading of the floor.

"The leader…he's aware that we're coming. He figured it out when the executives never contacted him. He has some Grunts protecting him, nothing major. The weird thing is…he's calm. No Pokemon have been released. He's up to something." Sabrina told them, as she opened her eyes and stood up.

Cynthia rubbed her chin. "I suppose you don't have any other really good ideas, Ash?"

Ash shook his head. "No…sorry."

"I don't think we have much of a choice with time being what it is. We could wait a few hours for the employees to show up; they might have Pokemon and be willing to help, but we risk casualties." Sabrina stated.

"No," Cynthia replied, frowning, "I don't want to risk that. We've already caused considerable damage to the building, and I certainly do not want to risk anymore lives than necessary. And who knows how long this patience is going to last before they move to strike. I have no doubts that they have more forces than just what was in this building."

"So…what do we do?" Ash asked.

"The only thing we can do: walk right in the door." Cynthia replied grimly.

"You can't be serious!" Sabrina exclaimed.

"Can you see the outcome?" Cynthia asked, deadly serious.

Sabrina hesitated to answer. "Well…no…but I just get a bad feeling about how this whole trip is going to end."

"I'm willing to take that chance. We have the Black Stone, but we need to know what they've discovered on it. We need to know how to use it to take down Team Plasma, and if we let them hold on to the knowledge, they'll just keep coming after it." Cynthia answered.

"I'm in. I'm sick of this whole stupid organization harassing me all the time. Let's take them down." Ash interjected, pounding his fist into his palm.

Sabrina sighed and shook her head. "You guys are crazy…but I'll do what I can to help."

The three walked into the thirtieth floor. Grunts lined the wall up until the door to the executive office...but looking at who was in front of it caused Ash to groan loudly.

"Jessie, James, and Meowth." Ash called to them as his trio approached, "I was really hoping I would be lucky enough to not even run into you this time."

"We could say the same thing, twerp." Jessie said, not bothered at all by Ash's words, "This sort of high-stakes business seems out of your league."

"Why don't we cut the pleasantries?" Cynthia remarked, "And you two just tell us whatever we need to do to get in that room and get all your documentation from your boss."

James clutched a Pokeball. "It shouldn't be that hard to figure out. We're the last line of defense to the boss. Well, us and all the other Team Rocket Members in this room."

"So, wear us out before we get to the boss, then? That's the big trap?" Sabrina asked smugly.

"Heh. What makes you think you'll get past us?" Meowth asked with confidence.

Before either Cynthia or Sabrina could answer, Ash stepped forward and snarked back, "Like I've ever had trouble stopping you? I've been foiling your plans since day one. And I'm ten. If I'm a failure, then you guys are just the most worthless excuse for criminals in existence. I can stop the three of you myself."

Cynthia's eyes widened, "Ash are you-?"

Ash just looked over his shoulders at the Champion. "You need to be at full power to take out the leader. I can handle this."

Now, Jessie was twitching with anger. "Fine twerp. We settle this now. You beat the three of us, you get in the room."

All the Rocket Grunts looked shocked. James and Meowth were taken aback as well at Jessie's overconfident display. "Jessie, are you sure about that?"

Jessie glowered at her partner, "We're not letting him get away with those remarks."

Jessie released all of her on-hand Pokemon: Swoobat, Seviper, and Yanmega. After another glare to James, he released his Cofagrigus, Mime Jr., and Carnivine.

Ash looked unfazed. "Wow, you're actually carrying more than one apiece? Shocking! You've actually _learned something._"

Before the trio could quip back at him, Ash released his six Pokemon. Upon recognizing their enemy, Ash's friends gained very eager looks to take on Team Rocket, who had caused them so much trouble in the past. "Let's say we do this two-on-two. I'll even give you a heads up and pick my two first. Palpitoad, Staraptor...you're up."

James smirked. "You know what? Beating you at your own game is going to feel amazing. Carnivine, go get them."

Jessie also looked quite pleased. "Yanmega, you're on."

The four Pokemon glared at each other. Cynthia leaned over to Sabrina. "Think he knows what he's doing?"

Sabrina gave Cynthia a rather frustrated look. "Psychic, remember?"

"Oh. Then-"

"No, I'm not telling you who wins." Sabrina replied.

"Palpitoad, Hydro Pump on Yanmega! Staraptor, Aerial Ace on Carnivine!" Ash commanded.

Both Pokemon enacted their attacks, and the flyer swooped towards the cactus-like Pokemon.

"Yanmega, counter with Sonicboom!" Jessie replied.

"Carnivine, use Bullet Seed and don't let Staraptor get in close!" James issued.

Yanmega's Sonicboom met with Hydro Pump, causing the attacks to stalemate. As well, Carnivine put Staraptor on the defensive by dodging the moves.

"Staraptor, use Double Team and try Aerial Ace again!" Ash commanded.

Staraptor began to initiate its command, but the distraction gave time for Jessie to issue Yanmega to hit a quick attack on Palpitoad, knocking it down. Not through yet, the toad Pokemon sprung right back up to its feet.

"Follow up with Silver Wind, Yanmega!" Jessie commanded.

James was more worried with Carnivine, who was trying to snipe the correct Staraptor.

Ash got an idea. It was a long shot, but it was worth it. "Quick Palpitoad, Supersonic before it can finish charging Silver Wind!"

Palpitoad did as it was told, and the sonic wave reached the dragonfly Pokemon. Yanmega began to flutter around a little confused, before settling on launching the Silver Wind at Carnivine instead. Carnivine took the full brunt of the attack, allowing for Staraptor to follow it up with Aerial Ace. Carnivine hit the ground, and it was clear that it wasn't going to get back up.

"Hmm. I'm just getting warmed up." James grunted. " Cofagrigus, you're next!"

Ash wasn't about to waste any time. "Mud Shot, Palpitoad! Staraptor, use Aerial Ace again on Yanmega!"

"Yanmega dodge with Quick Attack, and use Steel Wing to reflect that back at Palpitoad!" Jessie commanded.

Yanmega was able to just barely escape the attack of Staraptor, causing Ash to growl. It then successfully deflected Mud Shot, which knocked out Palpitoad.

"Sceptile, you're on." Ash said as he recalled Palpitoad. "Good job, buddy," he added, as he whispered to the Pokeball.

"Alright, Staraptor, fly Sceptile in so he can use Leaf Blade on Cofagrigus, and then hit Steel Wing on Yanmega!" Ash commanded.

Staraptor swooped towards Team Rocket's Pokemon, and Sceptile grabbed on to its talons, preparing its attack.

"Cofagrigus, get ready to counter it with Shadow Ball!" James replied..

"Yanmega, use a Steel Wing of your own!" Jessie yelled.

_Too awesome._ Ash thought. At the last second, he yelled, "Okay guys, switch targets!"

"What?" Both Jessie and James yelled.

Sceptile let go of Staraptor, bounced off the floor, and hit a Leaf Blade attack on Yanmega, who had been too preoccupied watching the bird Pokemon. The attack slashed the dragonfly and sent it flying against a wall, knocking it out.

Cofagrigus tried to recover and aimed Shadow Ball at Staraptor. Unfortunately in its panic, Cofagrigus forgot that it wouldn't effect Staraptor due to its Normal Type. So, the attack harmless dissipated on contact with the bird, and Cofagrigus took the full brunt of the Steel Wing attack.

Jessie recalled Yanmega and sent Seviper out. "Use Glare on Sceptile!"

The attack landed and Sceptile froze in its tracks due to paralysis

"Staraptor, cover Sceptile!" Ash commanded.

"No you don't! Cofagrigus, use Haze!" James issued.

"Seviper, use Poison Tale on Sceptile!" Jessie also yelled.

"Sceptile, try to move if you can!" Ash pleaded.

Smoke filled the room, causing everyone to cough.

"Staraptor, use Whirlwind to get rid of the Haze!" Ash said between coughs.

Staraptor did as it was told, but then had the disadvantage of being the first target revealed.

"Cofagrigus, use Psychic on Staraptor!"

Cofagrigus did as such, and encapsulated Staraptor in a pink tint, and slammed the bird onto the ground headfirst, knocking it out. As the rest of the smoke cleared, Ash winced to see that Sceptile had been unable to move from the paralysis, and had also been knocked out by Seviper.

Ash recalled the two. "Alright, time to get serious. Snorlax, Krokorok, let's finish this!"

The two hustled forward.

"Seviper, Wrap Krokork up!"

But Ash wasn't having it. "Krokorok, jump on to Snorlax's shoulder! Snorlax, Ice Punch!"

Seviper lunged at Krokork, but the crocodile was too fast was able to get out of the way. Snorlax looked down at the snake, covered his fist in a block of ice, and brought it crashing down on Seviper, knocking it out in one blow.

"Awesome, Krokorok, use Crunch on Cofagrigus!" Ash yelled.

"Cofagrigus, use Haze to cover yourself!" James commanded, getting rather nervous.

Smoke once again filled the floor. Much to James' dismay, Krokorok was still able to hit the attack on Cofagrigus, knocking it out.

"Krokorok traveled across most of Unova to find me. A little smoke isn't going to stop it." Ash responded.

Jessie and James sent out their last Pokemon; Swoobat and Mime Jr.

"Mime Jr., use Teeter Dance to confuse them!" James yelled.

However, Jessie was not pleased with this and smacked him on the head. "No, you dunce, that will-"

But it was too late. Unfortunately, Teeter Dance confuses all Pokemon besides the user in a double battle, so Swoobat also became confused.

Swoobat, Snorlax, and Krokork began to all stumble around in a daze. Mime Jr. began to laugh hysterically at the sight. It enjoyed it so much, Mime Jr. began to glow.

"Yes! It's evolving! Oh, you're going down now, twerp!" James yelled excitedly.

And it did. A Mr. Mime was now part of the battle instead. The display even managed to snap Swoobat out of its confusing.

"Swoobat, use Air Slash on Krokorok!" Jessie yelled.

"Mr. Mime, use Mimic to do the same thing to Krokorok!" James screamed in glee.

The two attacks blasted Krokorok, knocking him over. Ash stood anxiously to see if that was going to be the end. But then Krokorok emitted an odd glow to. It snapped up to its feet and evolved itself into a Krookodile.

"...oh well this just unfortunate." James said, his excitement fleeting.

"Krookodile, use Stone Edge on Swoobat!" Ash commanded, a wide grin on his face.

"Dodge it, Swoobat!" Jessie yelled.

But it was hopeless. There were too many stones for Swoobat to dodge, and it was pelted by most of them. It fell to the ground and struggled to get back up.

"Snorlax, finish off Swoobat with a Body Slam!" Ash yelled. "Krookodile, use Crunch on Mr. Mime!"

"Mr. Mime, protect yourself with Barrier!" James yelled.

Mr. Mime turned around and gave James a confused look. It hadn't learned Barrier yet.

"Oh, right. Uh, use-"

It was too late. Krookodile's attack hit, and knocked Mr. Mime out. Likewise, Snorlax was able to splash on to Swoobat and finish it off as well.

Jessie and James grimaced at their loss. Meowth facepalmed. "We're the bad guys, you idiots, we don't have to keep out word! Grunts, get em!"

"_This, _I saw coming." Sabrina stated. "Alakazam, Flash, now!"

Alakazam was released and blinded everyone in the room.

And when the light disappeared, it had put all the Grunts in the room to sleep. Jessie, James, and Meowth gulped nervously and began backing away from Ash as he recalled all of his Pokemon except Charizard, who was still fresh from not having to battle.

Ash looked over at Cynthia, as if begging her for permission. The champion just nodded at him.

"Charizard use -" Ash began, but a deep voice interrupted him.

"Enough."

The door to the executive office slid open. A tall man in a brown suit carrying a Persian walked out.

"This will not do at all. I know why you're here. You want to know what to do with the Black Stone. And you want to put an end to Team Rocket." He said, smirking viciously.

"And we're going to succeed. You're outmatched at this point. Hand over the data, and no one has to get hurt." Cynthia replied, just as viciously.

The man laughed. "Oh, come now, and make it that easy?"

The man pulled out a Pokeball. "I could go about this many different ways. I could unleash all my Pokemon against you at once. I could challenge you to a formal match. I could call in for help. But you are right about one thing: I wouldn't win this battle. You, Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion, have a full team of Pokemon at full energy. You're young accomplice, a Mr. Ash Ketchum, still has three Pokemon. And you have a Gym Leader who throughout the whole night, has only used one of her Pokemon, who doesn't appear to be damaged in the slightest."

"So you're not stupid. You see that surrender is your best course of action." Cynthia replied, not at all intimidated by the smooth talking of the man.

"No. Escape is _my_ best course. For you win this battle: I am hereby issuing the disbandment of Team Rocket. We as an organization are no more." The man answered calmly.

"WHAT?" Jessie and James cried in unison.

"Boss, you can't be serious?" Meowth exclaimed.

The man gave them all a stern look. "You three...I should kill you on the spot. If I ever run into you again, your lives our forfeit. You are all a disgrace."

The trio looked away in fear.

He turned his attention back to Cynthia. "No, you can have Team Rocket. But you will not get me. One day, the world will bow down before me. One day, they will speak my name with respect and fear as their ruler. The world will come to know the name...Giovanni."

Giovanni threw down a smoke bomb that let out a blinding flash. Amidst his blindness, Ash heard a Pokemon be released, and it uttered a cry he had never heard before. This was followed by a crashing noise.

Once all the smoke had cleared and vision had returned to all in the room, they had seen the result of Giovanni's actions: he had smashed through the window on a Pokemon, and was long gone.

* * *

><p>The next few hours happened in a blur to Ash. Cynthia recovered Giovanni's computer for evidence and information on the Black Stone. League Officials all showed up to detain the numerous members of Team Rocket. Ash helped, of course, but fatigue had caught up to him, and the shock over finally conquering Team Rocket was hard to fully believe. It felt unreal, almost.<p>

As the sun began to rise over Saffron City, Jessie, James, and Meowth were the last ones to be loaded up into a League Official Police Department vehicle by Looker. Ash was thrilled to see them finally getting captured after the massive amounts of torment they had put him through. But at the same time, he was almost a little sad; he had gotten to know them throughout his journey, and he knew that there _was_ some good in them. _But this is the life they chose,_ he concluded in his mind, _and this is their fault._

The trio looked out as Ash before Looker slammed the door on them.

"Hey...kid...did they get your Pikachu?" James asked, sounding sad.

Ash did not return their gaze and just looked down at his feet. They understood what the answer was without him saying. The trio all looked at each other with downtrodden expressions.

"...go get him back, Ash." Jessie continued.

Ash looked back up at them in surprise. "I wasn't even sure you guys knew my name." He replied, a sad smile on his face. "Of course I will."

Meowth gave a small chuckle. "If we can't get him anymore, he sure belongs with you, kid."

"...thank you." Ash said, uncomfortably. "Er...good luck?"

"Thanks. Sounds like we'll need it." James answered, as Looker shut the door on them.

Ash walked back over to the front of the Silph Building, where Cynthia was talking with the CEO, and Sabrina looked on in amusement.

"...so much property damage! We can sue you for this!" A fat man in a suit yelled in the face of Sinnoh's Champion.

"This was an official League investigation that resulted in the stopping of a criminal organization. Time was of the essence. Here is the insurance information for the Pokemon League, give them a call, and they'll sort all this out." Cynthia replied to the man, frustrated. It had been a long night, and they didn't have time to hang around.

Still fuming, the CEO for the building strode inside in a huff. Cynthia joined Sabrina and Ash and sighed audibly. "All I want to do is sleep for about a day. Come on, let's go back to the gym so we can get back to Nimbasa."

Ash and Sabrina nodded in agreement. As they walked towards the gym, Cynthia looked at the young man next to her. "You were very impressive last night. You had showed strategical abilities, you harnessed some of your Aura powers, and you thrashed Team Rocket thinking I would need to battle Giovanni. You're really coming along, Ash."

Ash grinned. "Thanks. One evil team down, one to go, right?"

Cynthia grinned back at the trainer. "Of course. I'll just have to send the Black Stone and Giovanni's computer to Wallace to see if he can crack the information on it."

The exhausted trio entered the gym at last. Sabrina herself was practically falling asleep, spent from using so much of her psychic energy in the course of one sleepless night.

Unfortunately, this lead to her not sensing the massive amount of people crowding the battle area of her gym. The trio didn't find that out until they entered that area and turned the lights on.

"Oh...crap." Sabrina said as the lights flickered on in the arena.

Team Plasma had invaded the gym overnight. Sabrina, Cynthia, and Ash were surrounded by more Liepards and Scrafty's that they could count. The wall was lined with Team Plasma Grunts who had released them all to be commanded by Ghetsis. In the back of the gym, N and Ghetsis stood with Reshiram behind them.

Ghetsis calmly walked through the horde of Pokemon with a laptop tucked under his arm.

"I'm guessing you want the Black Stone?" Cynthia asked wryly. Despite her efforts, the sarcasm did not hide her anger, and Ghetsis knew it.

"An educated guess, my dear. But you're mistaken." He replied with an evil glint in his eyes. "Before I discuss our demands, let me show you the collateral."

Ghetsis opened the laptop and held it towards the three. They leaned forward to get a better look.

Another sage popped up onto the screen. "Is it time, Lord Ghetsis?" He asked through the monitor.

"Indeed." Ghetsis answered, not moving the screen. "Show them what's at stake."

The sage turned his camera to the waiting area of the League "safe" location under Nimbasa. Ash swore angrily at the unconscious bodies of Elesa, Clay, Burgh, and Nurse Joy.

"Oh wait, there's more." Ghetsis said coolly.

The sage in Nimbasa panned his camera over to the body of Cilan. First his top half...then his bottom half a few feet away.

"He was particularly defiant." The sage explained from behind the camera, "So we had Liepard use Night Slash on him. He would not relent until he was severed at the waist."

"A fitting end for a traitor." Ghetsis mused.

"You monster." Cynthia growled.

Sabrina turned her head to the side at the sight.

Ash instinctively reached for his hat to pull down over his eyes - until he realized it had been left on the nightstand next to Dawn. _Cilan...was that you keeping your promise? You...I never wanted you to die for me. Damn it._

He instead clenched a small handful of hair out of frustration. _Oh Arceus...what have they done with Dawn?_

"Show them who's next if we don't get what we want." Ghetsis said, voice ringing with triumph.

The camera was carried by the sage into Dawn and Alder's room, where the two were strapped down to their hospital beds. A Garbodor towered over each bed, ready for an attack command. Alder was closing his eyes and gritting his teeth to brace for impact. Dawn also had her eyes squeezed tightly shut, but her violent breaths told Ash right away that she was trying (and failing) not to cry.

"What is it you want?" Cynthia asked, disheartened. _So much death...we were so foolish to leave them. How could they have won again?_

N walked forward to stand next to his father. "We don't want the Black Stone. We want you to bring it to me after I defeat the Elite Four. But right now, we want -" he stopped to laugh like a child and over dramatically point at Ash "-you."

Ash's eyes widened. "W-what?"

On the computer, Alder and Dawn had heard the command. Dawn let out a cry and the tears came freely. Alder swore loudly at Ghetsis for wanting to abduct the young man.

"Why? Why do you want Ash?" Cynthia asked in a panic, but really, all she wanted to do was buy time.

N snickered. "We have reason to believe that Ash is the one to call Zekrom from his slumber. And we want to make sure that when he does, Zekrom is playing for the right team. You don't really have much of a choice. You either all die right now...or we take Ash, and you live Cynthia. Alder lives. Dawn lives. And we leave. We need you all to deliver the Black Stone to us."

Ash didn't hesitate. "Fine. I surrender." He placed his hands behind his head and stepped forward

"Ash, no!" Cynthia cried. She tried to reach forward to grab him, but a Liepard snapped at her hand.

"DON'T DO IT, KID!" Alder screamed from his bed on the screen.

"ASH! AASSHHH!" Dawn yelled as well.

But their words fell on deaf ears. _I've already let so many people down since this started. Lance, my mom...Pikachu getting captured for me...Cilan getting killed to redeem himself for me. This is the second time in less than two days that they've almost killed Dawn. I won't let anyone down anymore. I will protect them._

_Even if it means sacrificing myself._ Ash thought in his mind.

Cynthia and Sabrina watched helplessly as Ash's Pokeballs were confiscated, and his hands tied behind his back. N and Ghetsis lead him onto the back of Reshiram.

Ash looked to Cynthia and yelled. "Tell Dawn..."

But he couldn't finish the sentence. Ghetsis took out a spray bottle of sorts, and used some sort of chemical to make him black out.

The Liepards rushed forward and pushed Cynthia and Sabrina out of the room. When they were able to get up...the gym was empty.

* * *

><p>As fast as they had come, Team Plasma had left Nimbasa City. Hours later, League officials arrived to help and get the Pokemon Center running for all the trainers that needed help, and collect the remains of Cilan. Cynthia arrived as well, but her broken expression made her almost unrecognizable.<p>

True to their word, Team Plasma left immediately after Ash surrendered himself. Clay, Elesa, Burgh, Nurse Joy, Alder, and Dawn were not harmed any further. Doctor's arrived to operate on Dawn's arm and put it in a was eery in a way; they had caused so much damage, but in the end, were able to leave like they had never been there at all.

Cynthia had sent the Black Stone and Giovanni's computer to Wallace. And then...nothing. She had no plans. All she could do was sit and play the scene over and over in her mind. For the first time in the trip, she had no idea what to do. And it was terrifying.

Alder had become quiet as well. This was quite possibly the worst outcome that could have been imagined.

No quite knew what to do for Dawn. All she could do was read over the note Ash had left her before he and Cynthia had taken off.

**Dawn,**

**I'm really sorry if I'm not here when you wake up. Nurse Joy said you're going to be okay, just that your arm is broken. I was so glad to hear that you're going to be okay. You have no idea how sorry I am that I got you hurt. You don't deserve that. I feel so terrible that you're going through all this for me.**

**When this is all done, I was thinking, maybe I could take you to a play or something like you said earlier? I'm really not good at this sort of thing, but remember when you said you had someone in mind who you want to do that kind of thing with?**

**I...really hope you meant me. I want to do that kind of thing with you to.**

**Love, Ash.**

And every time, the girl cried. _Ash...what have you done?_

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter.<strong>


	11. Despair

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 11: Despair**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

* * *

><p><em>How long?<em> Ash wondered to himself as he lay on the rather uncomfortable cot in his cell.

_How long have I been in here?_

It was a difficult question. He had no interaction with anyone since arriving, blindfolded, in whatever location they were holding him in. When they had arrived, N had thrown him into the small room, removed his blindfold, and promptly slammed the door behind him. _And I wouldn't really call that interaction._

It was a small room. No windows. A bed, four walls, and a toilet. That was it. Periodically, Ghetsis would enter the room with a knife, drop a plate of food on the floor, and leave. Not that Ash wanted to talk to either of them.

A small light bulb lit up the whole room, twenty-four hours a day. Or maybe it hadn't been a day? Maybe it'd been a year? Ash couldn't tell, although a year seemed a little farfetched to him. And that's what made him wonder. He had lost track of how many times he had fallen asleep, eaten, used the bathroom, anything. There was no way to tell when the sun would rise or set, or how often it had.

_How long has it been since I've seen the light of day? _He questioned. _And how much longer until they use me for whatever it is they need and kill me?_

It was a living hell, total isolation. After awhile, you can cope. But then, it starts to get to you. The boredom, the sense of hopelessness, the loneliness. All of it.

After some time, weird questions popped into Ash's mind:

_Have they given up on me?_

_Is everyone safe?_

_What does a smile look like again? I can't remember..._

But it had given Ash time to try something. To master his Aura.

It had come to him after some...time after he had been brought in. He would lay on the bed, eyes shut, and try to see N or Ghetsis in his mind. Then, in the darkness...he thought he could see a blob of light that would represent a person's essence. It was the same as it had been in the Silph building, except Ghetsis and N had very odd auras about them.

At first, Ash had thought he was just losing his mind from being alone. But at one point, he saw the black aura of Ghetsis outside of his door...and then the door opened, as Ghetsis arrived with food once again, making Ash jump in surprise.

Yes, Ghetsis' aura was pitch black. Somehow, even against the blackness of his eyelids, Ash could see it standing out...as if it was more pronounced.

N never came down, but he would often see N's amber colored aura standing by Ghetsis. As time went by. Ash would try to focus on Ghetsis. Follow the essence around, until it came down to bring him food. And Ash was accurate every time.

Ash knew in his heart that mastering his abilities was the only thing keeping him sane. Without something to focus on, the loneliness came almost instantly. Then came the weird thoughts, then came crushing depression.

Not that it wasn't hard. He spent so much of his time thinking about his Pokemon, his friends, his mom...Dawn. _Will I ever see them again?_ He found himself thinking a lot. _Will I ever get out of here?_

His consolation was knowing that giving himself up was what saved their lives. It was the only thing that brought him solace.

When his thoughts ever progressed beyond this, he quickly tried to think of other uses for Aura. He had seen it used to create barriers. And of course, Lucario could use Aura Sphere, an actual attack with the power. All of these things called for a physical manifestation of Aura, of course. _I wonder if I could be able to do something like that._

Ash thought about it and concentrated on his hands, trying to create something, anything. But with no instructions or any idea how it worked, he wasn't able to produce anything.

* * *

><p>In Icirrus City, Cynthia, Dawn, and Alder were all facing a different kind of hell.<p>

Ten days. It had been ten days since Ash had allowed himself to get captured for the safety of his companions. Ten agonizing days, each one more prominently reminding them how they lost such a key member to their group.

Cynthia had been unable to sleep. Every time she did, all she saw was the scene of Ash just giving up, while she stood there helplessly. Often times, the dream would end with his death at the hands of Reshiram, and the Champion would wake up in a cold sweat.

Alder's usual snarky attitude was completely replaced with stoicism. He was emotionless as he trained his team everyday, pushing them as hard as possible, so that he would never be put in such a helpless position again.

Dawn was hit the hardest. Her voice had lost all emotion as she spoke to her teammates. Like Alder, she began training her Pokemon intensely (even in spite of having her right arm in a cast), but for a few reasons.

One, was so that she wouldn't be caught so helpless again.

And two, because she still hadn't given up on getting Ash back.

These two things had made her rather distant. She became almost completely entrenched in the idea of saving Ash, and she pushed herself as hard as she could to succeed in that goal.

Team Plasma had cooled off on their schemes for that time period. Almost as if they were allowing time to rub salt in the wounds of the Pokemon League. But the three were there at Icirrus City to investigate the Dragonspiral Tower, where N claimed to have been recognized by Reshiram.

The only bit of good news was that Wallace had indeed cracked Team Rocket's software: Yes, the Black Stone was Zekrom. Team Rocket had cracked its genetic structure to confirm that the legendary Pokemon was taking the dormant form a of plain rock.

Team Rocket had run cross-referencing on all tales of Zekrom and electrical experiments to confirm two things: the stone could only be resurrected via three factors: First, it had to be in the possession of its recognized hero or master. Two, it had to be in the presence of Reshiram, provided Reshiram had been awakened first. Three, the recognized trainer of Reshiram had to be in direct conflict with Zekrom's chosen trainer.

The computer also contained an analysis corresponding every member of Team Rocket to Zekrom, to see if any of them would match up in compatibility with the Legendary Deep Black Pokemon. But none of them were.

The last useful bit of information Team Rocket had provided was research on N, due to his ability to obtain Reshiram. They had not been able to discover his status as leader of Team Plasma, but they did deduce that he had objectives outside of winning the Unova League Tournament. They had done research on every gym battle the trainer had partaken in; in each one, he always had a different team of Pokemon, each consisting of one he had obtained in the area, and none of them were kept in Pokeballs. They also confirmed N was not his actual name, but some sort of alias deemed upon him. Beyond this, the kid was a mystery.

Cynthia had decided to take the Black Stone to Dragonspiral Tower to see if the location would cause any sort of changes in the Black Stone, since the location itself was tied to Reshiram.

As the three climbed to the top of the tower, none of them spoke. The team had lost its knack for friendly banter since losing Ash. Once at the top the three stopped to look over the few Icirrus City.

"Ash would have liked this." Dawn said, sadly.

"We'll rescue him." Alder replied monotonously. It seemed every time Ash was brought up, Alder would remind them that Ash had been taken alive, and unless proven otherwise, believed that was still the state Ash was in. But the lack of passion in his voice was not reassuring to anyone.

Cynthia said nothing. She just reached into her long coat and pulled out the Black Stone. After a moment, she almost gave up, but then gasped.

"It's shaking." She whispered. Dawn and Alder rushed over and felt the Black Stone. Indeed, it had been gently quivering in her hand, like an egg about to hatch.

"So we know now, huh? That's Zekrom." Alder asked. "Now we just need to find whoever is the hero for this thing and get him to N."

"Unless of course...it's Ash." Cynthia replied.

The three all looked away from each other. Something vibrated in Alder's pocket, a specific cell phone only used between League members.

Alder quickly whipped the device out and scanned it. "Wallace wants us back at the base. Says Team Plasma's gone back on the radar..."

* * *

><p>By now, Ash was getting very good at seeing people with his Aura. The blobs he originally used to see were actually beginning to take the form of the person they represented. N's amber colored aura was now almost fully shaped into the teenagers silhouette. Beyond his normal scope, Ash could almost "see" people in the distance away from him, although they seemed much further away, and there forms were reduced to mere blobs. He didn't think they were related to Team Plasma, since they seemed to have various, different color auras.<p>

_Are they...just people outside of the building?_ Ash wondered. _Maybe the more I do this, further out I can "see."_

The thought intrigued Ash, although considering his circumstances, anything to keep his mind off of the isolation would help.

Ash closed his eyes and tried to focus further out, on some of the faint blobs of essence in this distance from him. But then he noticed something pass by: N had seemingly been walking away. He saw his form leaving the normal area where he and Ghetsis normally kept to (what Ash could only assume was the building they were in). He was walking further and further away, and as he did, his "form" became looser and looser until he too was a blob of light again. Finally, he faded out of Ash's field of vision.

Ash had been so preoccupied, he almost hadn't seen Ghetsis' form approaching his doorway. But Ash saw it just a few seconds before he pounded against the door to the cell.

"Get up, boy. N wants you to bare witness to your ideas failing." Ghetsis hissed through the barrier.

Ash got up and walked to the door. He really didn't care that they wanted him broken or what faced him outside the door. He was just happy to get out of that room. Upon exiting, Ghetsis tied his hands behind his back and led him upstairs.

Ash blinked in confusion to see he wasn't in some secret laboratory or elaborate base. No, he had been being held in the basement of a house.

"Where...are we?" Ash asked, confused.

Ghetsis gave an evil smirk. "Oh come now, Ash, you've been here before. We're in Opelucid City...last stop on the road to the Unova League."

Ash furrowed his brow. "So what? What's the big plan? Why here?"

Ghetsis backhanded the boy, knocking him to the floor. "Enough out of you. I'm surprised you even have the will to talk. You've been isolated for ten days straight. You should be a broken mess by now."

Ash wordlessly climbed back to his feet, heart burning with rage. But he wasn't exactly in any position to fight back.

"What did you think this was? A superhero comic? A movie? Did you think I would reveal the grand scheme of Team Plasma to a child like you?" Ghetsis screamed in the boys face, outraged. He then grabbed Ash by the shoulders and shoved him in the direction of the front door. Ash fell to the ground and grunted in pain, but climbed back up once more. "Get out the door."

"...how am I supposed to open it?" Ash asked in a cross between fury and bewilderment, "My hands are still tied." To emphasize, he turned and wiggled his fingers behind his back.

Despite the fact that it was an honest, genuine question, Ghetsis must have felt as though Ash was mocking him, because the older man reared back and punched Ash in the eye, flooring him for a third time.

Ash groaned, but once again struggled to get back to a vertical base, albeit slower this time around.

Ghetsis marched over to the door and opened it. "Out."

_I'll just keep my mouth shut from now on..._Ash thought, slightly dazed. He could feel the area around his left eye began to swell up.

Despite that, he was able to see quite clearly why N had exited the house first: the teen had walked out in the town Plaza, and unleashed Reshiram, causing fear and panic among many bystanders. They all scrambled to get away from the Pokemon who had knocked down the Pokemon Musical Hall, and had been present when a young woman fell off the Nimbasa Ferris Wheel.

Ash bit his tongue keep himself from yelling in outrage.

Reshiram roared angrily. N looked around, as though he was waiting for something in particular. Finally he spotted it, and pointed to his prey: a team of a new reporter and her cameraman. "YOU TWO!" He yelled, "OVER HERE, NOW!"

For fear of their lives, the trembling journalists made their way over to hands in the air for surrender. The display caused N to roll his eyes. "Please. Come on, I want you to get this on tape. I need to have my statement broadcast worldwide! I can't do that with you pointing the camera at the sky, can I?"

The reporter and cameraman looked at each other in fear and surprise. They didn't seem sure how to respond.

"NOW!" Barked Ghetsis.

The journalists jumped, and the cameraman pointed his equipment at N. The reporter nervously stood next to N as her cameraman gave her the signal.

"We're on..." The cameraman said.

"I'm...uh..." The reporter started, but N quickly grabbed her microphone and shoved her out of the way.

"Do not adjust your set!" N yelled with a childlike giddiness. "The images you are seeing are not a dramatic recreation! It is I, Unova, the champion of your Official League Tournament. As many of you are aware from the events of Nimbasa City, I am also king of Team Plasma!"

N paused, puffing his chest out with pride. "As you are all aware, I lead Team Plasma with one clear goal: the liberation of Pokemon. For you see, I truly believe that the practice of catching and forcing our goals onto these innocent creatures is the root of the world's evils. So now, I'm issuing my official statement."

N looked towards his father for approval. Ghetsis ushered him to continue.

N cleared his throat. "By all means, tomorrow I will challenge the Elite Four, as my rights bestowed upon me by the Pokemon League state. Then, once I become Champion of this filthy region, I will secede Unova from the Pokemon League, and ENFORCE that no human can own a Pokemon EVER AGAIN. All Pokemon will be brought to Team Plasma to ensure safe release back into the wild."

Ash scowled, desperately trying to keep his mouth shut. All he wanted to do was scream in anger at the teenager.

"Resistance is futile. After all, look what happened to the poor child your League sent to stop me." N stated.

On cue, Ghetsis kicked Ash forward, and he fell into the frame in front of N. N hoisted the boy onto his feet, but Ash refused to look into the camera due to shame. He didn't want anyone to see him this way. But it was a clear message; the marks from Ghetsis roughing him up earlier were clear, and him being bound against his will was not a pleasant sight.

"Now, I know some of you will try to leave the region." N continued, "But rest assured; Unova under my rule will conquer every region until my dream is complete. Pokemon shall no longer suffer. So, my loving audience: make your remaining time with your so-called friends meaningful. Think about their happiness, and you will see that I am indeed correct."

N gave a confident smirk to the camera. "So Alder, I would suggest ceasing your running around with Cynthia and this young man's friend...you'll have a challenge to answer. Now get this camera out of my face."

The reporters ran off. They needn't be told twice with the Vast White Dragon looming behind its master.

N pushed Ash back towards Ghetsis. Ash trembled with fury, and did everything he could not to look up at the two leaders of Team Plasma. If he looked, he might not be able to contain himself.

Unfortunately, they weren't done. "What'd you think, Ashy-boy?" N asked him, "That's only part one of the surprise. Just wait until tomorrow, you're going to love watching me smack down the Elite Four."

"CAN'T. WAIT." Ash spat out through gritted teeth, breathing sharply. It was all he could muster without snapping.

Ghetsis raised his arm to strike the trainer again at his tone, but N held up his hand to stop the violence. "Oh come on Ash," he said, "you're going to love the surprise we have in store for you."

* * *

><p>The transmission was picked up by Wallace the second it aired, and he made sure Cynthia, Alder, and Dawn were aware of it.<p>

It was devastating for the three of them to watch. Despite Ash's resolve not to look at the camera, he visibly had a black eye from where Ghetsis had punched him. It was a heart-wrenching sight.

But every cloud has a silver-lining; they had been stuck worrying about Ash's well being, and they at least knew he was alive and in one piece.

As the new replayed the information on Icirrus City's Pokemon Center, Alder, Cynthia, and Dawn all turned and looked at each other, unsure of how to respond to the very public announcement.

"He can't actually...he can't actually become the Champion, can he?" Dawn asked in amazement.

Alder and Cynthia both looked away. "Unfortunately," Cynthia began, "once someone is given the right to face the Elite Four, it can not be revoked by any means. He can take the challenge whenever he wants and...if he defeats Alder, he would become the head authority of Unova."

Dawn dropped her head onto the table they were sitting on with a loud bang. Piplup, who had taken to staying out of his Pokeball to keep Dawn company, hopped up and pat her on the head. "Pip, piplup."

Cynthia turned to Alder. "How about you? Anything we can do to give ourselves the edge here?"

Alder grimaced. "Well, we know they'll be at the League to make the challenge, and we know N and Ghetsis will be guarded like crazy. Legally, we can't interfere with the Challenger...but we can try to take down the remaining Sages, and try to save Ash."

"They expect as much, remember?" Cynthia reminded them, "I was told that we are to bring the Black Stone to them so they could summon Zekrom."

"So then don't bring it." Dawn replied, "Let's just kick their butts and save Ash. Why hand-deliver what they want?"

Cynthia shook her head. "Not so simple, Dawn. Look at it this way; their plan for the Black Stone hinges on that Ash is Zekrom's chosen hero, and that they can manipulate it. Are plan is pretty much that we can get Ash back, and he can use Zekrom against Team Plasma. And if we don't bring it, we're up against Reshiram without adequate firepower, and they have no reason to keep Ash alive."

Dawn cringed at the last two words. It was already heartbreaking to hear such things about Ash. _I can't let him die. I can't. He saved me in Castelia. He came for me at Nimbasa instead of going after N. I'll save you Ash. I promise._

"So then...it's just us against them. Specifically, I have to take down N. Then we're free to take him out." Alder replied grimly.

"So those are the stakes. We can't afford to lose." Cynthia concluded.

Dawn stood up and growled. "Let me train with you guys. I want to do everything I can to help. I need to be stronger..."

Cynthia looked the girl over. She knew that what happened to Ash would either break the girl, or give her an obsession to take down Team Plasma and save Ash. Neither of them were mentally healthy, but at least they could manage the obsession. And that was truly what happened. Despite having a broken arm, after knowing Ash gave himself up to keep her safe, she wanted nothing more than to return the favor for all Ash had done for her at this point.

Cynthia nodded. "That's fine. You and I can work on your battle techniques. Alder needs to get to the league right now to prepare."

So Alder took off. Cynthia, Dawn, and Piplup went outside of the Pokemon Center to train in the setting sun.

"We focus on one Pokemon at a time. Use Piplup first. I will send out Togekiss. No holding back." Cynthia instructed sternly.

* * *

><p>The passage of time was still vague to Ash, in his windowless, constantly-lit cell. Ash was still furious, and had trouble focusing his aura. His anger was so intense that it almost felt like he was burning.<p>

Until he realized he _was _burning. His hands were giving off a radiating purple glow that was starting to scare him. The second he noticed it though, it seemed to fade away. _Maybe I'm just going crazy._ He thought to himself.

Ghetsis pounded at his door as he was staring at his hands in bewilderment. Ash sprang to his feet as the sage entered his door with a sinister grin.

"Are you ready to witness the glory of Team Plasma?" Ghetsis asked.

Ash said nothing as Ghetsis tied his hands behind his back. He didn't know what their plans were, but he knew he was going to be in for a rough day...night...whatever time it was.

A blindfold was put over his eyes, and he was lead outside of the building. _At least I'm not getting punched, _he thought, although it did not quench his anger.

He heard a familiar, deafening, whirring noise. _A helicopter. What, that's the big secret?_

Suddenly, Ash felt himself get shoved against a curved, metal surface. The blindfold was ripped off of his face by Ghetsis, and as the Sage backed away. A glass door closed over between the two of them. Ash looked around and realized he was in some sort of tube.

"What are you-?" Ash began to ask, but then an electric shock coursed through his body, cutting him off.

It stung yes, but it wasn't anything Ash wasn't used to from his past experiences with Pikachu.

Ghetsis and N had loaded Ash onto Team Plasma's helicarrier with the rest of the Sages and a few higher-level guards. In the back, they had built an electric shock torture tube just for such an occasion. It was being powered by two Magnemites that resided along either side of the mechanism.

"Quiet boy. I can see being pummeled by greatness hasn't taught you not to speak unless spoken to." Ghetsis gloated gleefully.

"Yes," N continued, smirking at Ash from beyond the glass barrier, "but it's sad that my friends must reside here to keep you in line. Soon enough though, we shall be able to release them...but you need to be taught a lesson. Father, knock this ingrate out until we have reached the league and begun the challenge.

The Magnemites were ordered to shock Ash again. Once more, Ash felt the pain of Thundershock...but he stayed on his feet, and glared angrily out the window at the leaders of Team Plasma.

"Hmm...a tougher boy than we thought." Ghetsis mused before commanding the Magnemites to shock him again.

_Wait...this is supposed to knock me out? _Ash wondered.

Perhaps the next Thundershock gave him a stroke of genius: all the times Pikachu had shocked him had given him a high-tolerance to electric attacks. Ash took the attack, and then collapsed against the back of the metal wall encasing. He tried as hard as he could to lie still. _Let them think I'm out. Arceus, please._

"Hmm...not as tough as he thought, father." N remarked.

He heard a few footsteps echo. After a few faint breaths and Ash peeked an eye open. No one was around, and Ash smiled faintly to himself. _I'm getting out of here._

* * *

><p>Cynthia, Dawn, and Piplup arrived outside of the Pokemon League Headquarters of Unova. Dawn was stunned at seeing the enormous building. It was bigger than any Contest Hall, Gym, or even the Stadium the Lily of the Valley Festival. She glanced over to Piplup on her shoulder to see he looked awestruck as well.<p>

"Impressed?" Cynthia asked, amused. "Come, Alder wants to discuss his plans."

They met the red-headed champion inside of meeting room, where he was consulting with Grimsley.

"...so stop him at all costs." Alder concluded to the Elite Four member. Grimsley just nodded and left the room, nodding to Cynthia as he walked out.

"Glad you guys got here so fast." Alder replied gruffly.

"So, what's the plan?" Dawn asked eagerly. Anxiety was getting to all of them; the plans of Team Plasma were coming to a head, and it seemed like the opportunity to rescue Ash was looming on the horizon.

Alder cleared his throat. "As you may or may not know, Unova's rules for challenging the Elite Four are as follows: the Challenger must take on all members in the time of one day. The matches are six-on-six, challenger may substitute, and he may seek healing between each match. Should the challenger be successful, he faces the Champion - me, of course - the next day."

Cynthia nodded. "So we're working with today and tomorrow."

"Yes. We don't have much time to prepare...so I hope you two have been training hard. We know they have Reshiram on their side, so if we make any sudden advances...well, there will be casualties. So, we need to be particularly careful. You two need to monitor the matches from hidden locations in the building to make sure that the only thing Team Plasma is doing is guarding N." Alder replied grimly.

Dawn's jaw dropped. "That's it? We just sit and wait?"

Cynthia and Alder sighed in unison. "It appears so. They have us outmatched, and we need to focus our efforts on taking down N. If this plans fails for them, we'll have at least thwarted them for the time being." Cynthia explained.

"The good news," Alder butted in, "is we studied all his footage of using Reshiram in the Tournament. We've all formed strategies for dealing with Reshiram's power and N's battle strategy with the dragon. All we can do is take him on head on."

A loud sound could be heard from outside of the building.

"What the heck is that?" Dawn asked.

The three rushed outside and gasped at the object that was casting a large shadow across the League Headquarters.

A giant heli-carrier bearing the Team Plasma logo was flying overhead. Alder cursed angrily at the sight.

"Well then...looks like the Challenger has arrived." Cynthia mused.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, N descended in some sort of capsule, along with five sages surrounding him. He strode into the building and proudly marched up to the registration desk, where a nervous intern checked him in.<p>

"I see you were expecting me." He said with a haughty smile as the nervous young lady filled out his forms for the event, "Tell me, do I get to choose the order I defeat these abusers still?"

The intern nodded wordlessly in fear.

"Good," N replied with a smirk, "I think I would like to take on the fighting type master...Marshall, correct? With such a disposition for physical combat, I'm sure his Pokemon have taken much more physical torment...putting them out of their misery first will be quite pleasing."

"Y-yes sir. I shall call him to the battlefield." The intern said, not looking up from her desk.

The battle area at the League building was similar to the tournament arenas: an open, stadium like area overlooking a field. In the past, the seats would fill up, and people would buy tickets months in advance to see the Elite Four, and possibly even the Champion in battle. But now, people were buying tickets to leave the Unova Region for fear of their lives. No, the stands were completely empty, save for a few unlucky reporters who were sent to document the entire process. The whole world wanted to watch the match up after hearing the news; they just wanted to stay as far as humanly possible from the demented leaders of Team Plasma.

As N walked out onto the battlefield, he was surrounded by four of the Sages, while a fifth one stood off to the side, videotaping the entire process so that Ghetsis could observe from the safety of Team Plasma's helicarrier.

Cynthia and Dawn were watching from an observation deck high above the stadium as Marshall entered the arena to battle the challenger. Piplup stood on the windowsill to try to get a better look.

"So, you think Ash and Ghetsis are on that big aircraft?" Dawn asked worriedly.

Cynthia nodded. "Yes...they're not stupid. They know we're after both of them, so they want to keep the prize away from us. And they know we won't shoot it down with Ash inside of it."

Dawn looked to her feet. "They have to come down at some point."

Cynthia shrugged. "Either that, or one of us will have to go up to give them the Black Stone."

There was a brief pause between the two of them, and Dawn looked up at the older woman. "Do you really think any of these guys or Alder can stop N?"

Cynthia couldn't answer right away. Finally, she replied quietly, "I'm really not sure Dawn, and that's what frightens me."

As they looked down at the arena, a gong sounded to signal the start of the match. Marshall began by sending out a Sawk, waiting anxiously to come face to face with the legendary Reshiram that he had been studying.

But that wasn't what happened as N pulled out a Pokeball, and called out a much different Pokemon to compete for him.

"No...that bastard." Cynthia whispered as she saw what N was doing.

"That...that's terrible!" Dawn yelled out in disbelief.

* * *

><p>Ash had been trying to channel his Aura into his hands ever since Team Plasma had left him alone. He had managed to achieve a faint glow of power from time to time, but it seems like whenever he would, he would here someone coming down the hall, forcing him to slump against the side of the tube as if he was passed out. When he opened his eyes to make sure it was safe, it was back to square one.<p>

_Anger. Think about how angry it made you. How hurt you felt to see N push Dawn off the Ferris Wheel, _he reminded himself, feeling his rage grow inside him.

It was beginning to get easier, too. His hands would radiate with a blue or purple glow, depending on what he was focusing on. Despite this, he still had no idea what to actually do with it.

He once again heard footsteps approaching his tube. Ash slumped against the back of the tube and shut his eyes tight. He focused his Aura to see the familiar black essence of Ghetsis approaching him. _Oh, great. Just what I need right now._

"Hmm." The Sage's voice rang out. "How shall I wake the boy. Oh, well, why not? Magnemites, Thundershock."

Ash was once again jolted with electricity. Snapping his eyes open, he purposely climbed to his feet slower than usual to give off the impression that he was greatly injured.

Ghetsis opened the glass tube, grabbed Ash by the back of the head and threw him onto the ground before once again tying his hands behind his backs. At knifepoint, he lead Ash down a small flight of stairs and onto the main level of the helicarrier. In the wall under where Ash was kept, six high ranking Plasma guards had just set up a large television screen.

Ghetsis shoved Ash into a chair and began tying him to it for good measure. "Are you in the mood to watch a good battle, young trainer?" The sage asked, "Because I hear there is going to be a new Champion very soon, and battles will be a thing of the past before we know it."

As he had grown used to, Ash said nothing. This time, however, that was the wrong thing to do. Ghetsis backhanded Ash, knocking him and the entire chair over. A few of the guards picked the chair up (with Ash still tied to it, of course), and set him down next to Ghetsis. "I asked you a question, boy." Ghetsis growled.

"Sure. Sounds great." Ash replied, trying to sound as emotionless as possible. It didn't work too well, as his tone still leaked his outrage. Ghetsis reared back to smack him again, but then one of the guards turned the television on. It was receiving live feed of N about to take on the first member of Unova's Elite Four.

"It looks like N decided to take on Marshall first, an expert in Pokemon of the Fighting Type. Are you interested to see how he battles them?" Ghetsis asked, with a strange glint in his eyes.

"Steamroll everything with Reshiram?" Ash asked angrily, remembering how N won the Unova League Tournament.

Marshall sent out a Sawk on the screen. N smirked at the choice and grabbed a Pokeball off of his belt. It was an odd looking Pokeball; it had a grey top instead of a red one, and it gave an impression of chains running across it. In his other hand, N was clutching some sort of remote control device.

"See that Pokeball, boy? We had to make it special. The subject didn't want to be in there, very stubborn." Ghetsis pointed out.

"What are you -?" Ash began, but he stopped talking and gaped at the screen.

N didn't send out Reshiram. He sent out a Pikachu. _His _Pikachu.

Some sort of collar was fixed around Pikachu's neck as well. At first, Ash wasn't sure what it was for, but on the screen, Pikachu turned around and prepared to shock N. N merely rolled his eyes and pressed a button on his remote. The effect wasn't visible, but Pikachu was clearly caused great pain by whatever the collar was doing.

"What...what's happening to Pikachu?" Ash screamed in a fury.

Ghetsis laughed maniacally, loving every minute of the young man's suffering. "Did you think Team Rocket was the only one who knew how to use radio waves to manipulate a Pokemon."

Ash's mind went blank as he fired off every foul and insulting word he could at Ghetsis until his face turned red. Of course, this just earned him another punch, this time in the jaw. Ash was once again picked up off the ground, and this time, Ghetsis ordered that the guards tape his mouth shut. Once finished, Ghetsis leaned over and laughed once more in Ash's face.

"You insignificant little brat," Ghetsis began, "are going to watch N succeed in liberating Pokemon, and the rise of myself...the rise of Team Plasma. And you will see him accomplish the goal using your own Pokemon to do something you could never do: become Champion."

Ash tried desperately to scream from behind the duct tape. _I can't let this happen..._

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter.<strong>


	12. Reunion

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 12: Reunion**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

* * *

><p>"Having an issue with your uh...Pikachu?" Marshall asked, rather confused.<p>

N laughed from the other side of the battlefield. "Not at all. Because he knows what's at stake." N finished the sentence with a pointed glare at Pikachu.

Pikachu sighed, and took a fighting stance against Marshall's Sawk, albeit with a depressed look on his face. N hit another button on his remote to cancel the radio waves.

"Alright Pikachu, use Thunderbolt." N issued calmly.

* * *

><p>From the observation deck, Dawn was fuming. Cynthia and Piplup watched as the girl paced angrily, throwing her left arm in the air as she yelled.<p>

"What sort of dirty trick is this?" She screamed furiously.

"Dawn, calm down! Screaming isn't going to save Ash, his Pokemon, or stop Team Plasma!" Cynthia yelled, grabbing the girl by the shoulders, but being careful not to further injure her right arm.

"He's using a torture device to control Ash's Pikachu! How can I not be pissed?" Dawn replied, although she lowered her voice considerably.

Alder walked into the room, somewhat calm all things considered. "Because we can confirm that Ghetsis and Ash are on that heli-carrier. And don't ask how I heard what you guys were talking about, the whole damn building could."

Dawn whipped around excitedly. "How can you tell?"

Alder grinned for the first time in over a week. "The one sage who's filming down there? It's being wirelessly transmitted through the air right now. Using some of our machines in the lab, Wallace able to trace the transmission to the heli-carrier. So, we decided to do a little recon. In one of our secret bases about half a mile out, we released some Pidove's with hidden cameras attached to them to fly past the machine. They got close enough to the cockpit to see inside and confirm a video visual of both Ash and Ghetsis."

"Well, that's some good news, at least." Cynthia replied with a sigh, "But how do we use it to our advantage?"

Alder smirked. "You guys want to invade it?"

Before Cynthia could open her mouth, Dawn burst out with an enthusiastic, "YES!" She couldn't remember the last time she felt so excited. Piplup as well jumped off the windowsill next to his trainer and cheered.

Cynthia chuckled slightly at the display. "Calm down there, kid. What's the plan, Alder?"

Alder looked over their shoulders to see Staraptor knocking out Throh. "This is bad. We were prepared for Reshiram. Ash's team was about the last thing we've been expecting. Anyways, N and the Sages were lowered from a platform from the carrier to the ground. I've organized with myself and the other members of the Elite Four: N will get himself healed up after each match, as does the Elite Four member. Should he win, the three who he faced earlier, and myself, will wait outside to ambush the Sages, which we can do since they aren't the Challenger himself. Then we follow N back to the carrier, and take out Ghetsis if possible."

Cynthia rubbed her chin. "Not the most thought out plan, but it sounds better than just sitting around and waiting to see if N can beat you tomorrow."

They both looked over at Dawn. "Are you ready for this?" Alder asked her.

Dawn grinned wildly. "Are you kidding? I've been waiting for this moment ever since Ash was kidnapped. Let's do it."

"Piplup!" The Water Type cried in agreement.

* * *

><p>On the heli-carrier, Ash's anger and frustration had reduced him to tears as he watched Marshall's Throh knock out Pikachu. N looked genuinely concerned about the well-being of Pikachu, but recalled him back to the odd Pokeball. <em>Pikachu hates being in a Pokeball. Why would you do that if you really cared as much as you say you do?<em>

"Look, boy. He's using your Staraptor. Shouldn't take him too much longer, now that it's in the hands of a proper trainer." Ghetsis sneered.

_I won't let him get to me. I can tell they aren't happy. My friends will be able to stop this. This is wrong. This is just wrong._ Ash thought it his mind, trying to keep the words of the Sage out of his mind.

But Ghetsis continued. "You failed, Ash. You failed to save your friends, failed to stop us, all of your efforts have been for nothing. We have wo-what the hell is wrong with you?"

Ash didn't realize it, but as is his anger rose at Ghetsis' words, he began to emit Aura from most of his body, the majority of it coming from his head and hands. Ghetsis jumped away in surprise before yelling for the guards to throw him back into his tube. Before Ash knew it, a few guards rushed over and tried to grab him from out of the chair - and jumped away as Ash's Aura burned them when they got close.

"We can't touch him, sir!" One of the guards stated in bewilderment, "Whatever he's doing won't let us get close."

"Get...get those Magnemites down here!" Ghetsis yelled.

Two guards ran up to fetch the Magnemites from the torture device and placed them in front of Ash.

"Thunderbolt, now!" Ghetsis commanded, a hint of fear in his voice.

Ash stared the two Pokemon directly in the eye as they launched the bolt at him. He focused his anger hard enough that he was actually able to put up a barrier between himself and the attack, protecting himself for the time being.

Unfortunately, he was focusing so hard, he didn't put up a barrier behind him, as a third guard hit him against the back of the head with a fire extinguisher. His Aura fell immediately as he struggled to stay conscious. He felt himself get hoisted up and thrown into the electric tube once more before blacking out.

* * *

><p>"The Elite Four? Worthless." N commented as Ash's Charizard finished off Caitlin's Metagross with Flamethrower. "Just one more of you left, right? I suppose it's not your fault...it was my destiny to free my friends from these bonds."<p>

Caitlin said nothing as she left the arena to fetch Grimsley, N's last opponent in the Elite Four challenge.

Charizard turned and growled at N ferociously, prompting N to once again press a button on his remote device. Charizard roared in pain and tugged at the black band around his neck emitting painful radio waves. But it was no use, the device would not budge from the dragon's neck.

"Come now," N replied calmly, "you know we don't have time for these games. I told you what the stakes are...you want to see Ash again, don't you?"

After a few moments of struggling, Charizard bowed his head submissively. N switched off the collar and recalled Charizard to his Pokeball. He strode out of the arena to heal Ash's team. In a way, he almost felt bad, using the love of these Pokemon for Ash to defeat the Elite Four for him. _It's all for the greater good, _N reasoned to himself as he walked with the five sages, _soon, I will have freed all the Pokemon in the world, starting with these six._

* * *

><p>Ash awoke in a daze to find himself back in the electric tube torture device Team Plasma had built to keep him in. <em>What happened again?<em> He thought, as he struggled to remember. It finally hit him. _I blocked an attack with my Aura. I would be way more excited about that if my head didn't feel like it was hit by a truck._

Ash slowly stood up in his tube, leaning against the glass wall for support.

"Ah...the living light-show is awake." A voice hissed to him from beyond the glass.

Ash groaned and looked up to see Ghetsis standing just outside the tank, leaning against the railway that separated the raised platform and the main level of the heli-carrier.

"So...what was that all about, boy?" Ghetsis asked calmly.

"I...I really don't know." Ash answered sincerely. _It's not a complete lie, I don't know how the hell I did that._

"Wrong answer." Ghetsis replied angrily.

Before Ash could respond, he was shocked by the Magnemites once again. Despite having a built up tolerance for electric attacks, he dropped to his knees in his weakened state.

"I mean it...I don't know how I do it!" Ash yelled in desperation.

Ghetsis growled once more. "I can keep going like this, you know. We need you alive...but that's it. You can be in as worse shape as I want you to be. I can have you wishing you were dead, begging for me to put you out of your misery like the filth you are."

Ash tried to climb to his feet again, but received another shock as he was halfway up, blasting him down on his rear once more. Ash panted as the attack ended. He struggle against the glass wall to try and stand once more.

"I'll ask once more, child." Ghetsis warned.

"I really...I don't know. I don't know how it happens." Ash replied weakly.

A stronger shock floored Ash again. He stared out of the glass door in a state of numbness, unable to move; he had either been paralyzed or was just left too weak to move.

Thankfully for Ash, a guard walked up the stairs to speak with Ghetsis. The Plasma guard looked over to the damaged boy in the tube with a look of surprise, and Ash realized that he probably looked as bad as he felt right now.

"Lord Ghetsis," The guard began, trying very hard not to look at Ash, "King N has completed the Elite Four challenge. He will return to the carrier shortly. Shall we head back to the base once he's on board?"

"Quite. I shall come with you. I want to greet my son and congratulate him for another step in completing my goals." Ghetsis responded with sinister happiness.

"Your goals, sir?" The guard asked confused.

Ghetsis slapped the guard for the words. "My goals are the goals of Team Plasma, you fool."

The guard nervously stopped himself from rubbing his cheek. "Y-yes sir."

Before leaving, Ghetsis rounded on Ash. "You. I'll be back for you."

Ash gulped and shut his eyes. _Now what do I do?_

* * *

><p>Two stories off the ground, Dawn, Cynthia, Alder, Shauntal, Caitlin, and Marshall crouched on the roof of the building, waiting for N to walk out of the entrance to the Pokemon League. Each had out one Pokemon in order to make a drop assault on a sage; Dawn and Cynthia were both poised on their respective Togekiss', Alder stood next to his Druddigon, Marshall was prepping Sawk for the attack, Caitlin yawned as she stood next to Musharna, and Shauntal was whispering something to her Chadelure.<p>

N burst out of the door to the League building with a triumphant air about him, followed quickly by the five sages who had accompanied him.

"Now!" Hissed Alder viciously.

The Pokemon and their masters all jumped from the building and landed an attack on the sage, but not before one of them was able to yell out a warning to N. N broke off into a run.

The Sages all released their teams of Pokemon, as did the Champions, Elite Four, and Dawn.

"Quilava, use Flamethrower on those two Amoongus'!" Dawn yelled out from atop her Togekiss. The attack landed as her Fire Type managed to take out two of Team Plasma's Pokemon. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that N was sprinting towards the carrier left to make his escape.

"Don't let that bastard get away!" She heard Alder yell to no one in particular.

That was all she needed to hear. She sped off on her Togekiss after the boy who had broken her arm, shouting a few further commands to her other Pokemon.

N was a fast runner, but there was no way he was able to outrun the Flying type. Once in range, the issued the command, "Use Aerial Ace!"

The attack sniped N, who collapsed not twenty feet from the pad. Dawn landed Togekiss between the boy and the pad for good measure. Not long afterwards, her Pokemon came running back to her, with Cyntha, Alder, and the three members of the Elite Four.

Dawn recalled her Pokemon with a smile on her face. But before anyone could act, they heard a roar from not too far away.

Ghetsis had been watching, and had sent for reinforcements.

The group looked to the sky until Cynthia yelled out, "THERE!" And pointed to the form of Reshiram speeding towards the fallen N.

Reshiram roared in a fierce anger as it touched down next to N. The Elite Four, Alder, Cynthia, and Dawn fired off an attack at Reshiram, but the dragon brushed them all off as it lowered its neck. N groggily climbed on top of the Vast White Pokemon and it took off. In mid air on its way to the helicarrier, the dragon turned and fired a Hyper Beam at the trainers. As a defense maneuver, the carrier pad raised off the ground and stopped to give N and Reshiram just enough room to enter.

They all scattered to dodge the attack. Except Dawn. Dawn hopped onto Togekiss and whispered in an angry determination, "Follow them."

As the smoke cleared from the attack, Cynthia coughed and looked around. "Is everyone alright?"

She heard a few murmurs of confirmation from her comrades but one voice was missing. _Dawn. Where's Dawn?_

She looked up to the sky and yelled. "DAWN, NO!"

Soon, the members of the Elite Four and Alder looked up and joined her in her anger.

Without thinking Cynthia boarded her Togekiss and took off after Dawn, heart racing. _Damn it, they aren't taking both of them. I won't let it happen._

She looked over to her side to see Alder chasing them as well on the back of his Druddigon. He shared the same determined look as the other Champion. _We can't lose this._

Reshiram flew in the opening left by the heli-carrier, and it began to close the gap in defense. Dawn and Togekiss were able to make it through, as Alder and Cynthia watched, helpless and frustrated.

"NO! DAMN IT!" Cynthia yelled to the heavens.

"GAAH! WE NEED TO FIND A WAY IN THERE, NOW!" Alder screamed in frustration. "THEY'RE NOT GETTING BOTH OF THESE DAMN KIDS!"

* * *

><p>Ash's eyes were shut tightly as he heard the roar of Reshiram approaching the aircraft. <em>N. N's back.<em>

But, despite Ash only being vaguely aware, he heard panic. Commotion. Disarray. Something was going wrong with Team Plasma's plans. Whatever it was, Ash was thankful for it. _I need to see it._

Ash wanted to pull himself to his feet, but his legs still weren't working. _Aura. Use my Aura._

It wasn't easy; the young man still felt dazed from the blow to the back of the head and electric shocks. But he kept his eyes shut and tried his hardest to focus. First, he saw N's amber-colored aura running up the stairs towards him after recalling Reshiram. Due to his dazed nature, N was still a blob instead of his actual formation, but Ash recognized the color. He saw the guards red auras next, and with them, some green auras belonging to their Pokemon. But they were attacking some other blobs...the League's Pokemon?

The mixture of colors and lights began to make the pain in Ash's head worse. _I can't do this right_ _now..._

Then he heard the voice of Ghetsis, the voice he had grown to hate, yell out an order: "Capture that girl! Now!"

_Girl...capture...girl...a girl came after me? Who would go through that for...wait...Cynthia had said that Dawn was doing this because..._

_DAWN!_

It mentally felt like Ash had been hit with another fire extinguisher as his eyes snapped open at the realization. Shakily, he pulled himself up to his feet and pressed himself against the glass to overlook the rest of the heli-carrier.

Dawn and her Pokemon were surrounded by the Plasma Guards Houndooms and Cofagrigus. But Dawn was not afraid, as she sat on top of Mamoswine, issuing attack commands to the rest oft her team. No, that is what she had been preparing for.

"Piplup, use Whirlpool to spread them out! Pachirisu, hit Discharge on the Whirlpool!" She issued as Mamoswine shot an Ice Shard at an approaching Sigilyph.

An electrified Whirlpool attack smashed down on to the surrounding Pokemon, knocking them all away from the young coordinator.

"Quilava, Flame Wheel on that Garbodor and bounce off! Lopunny, use Ice Beam on the floor around us!"

Ash's eyes widened as he realized that at some point, Buneary had evolved. The Lopunny that stood before Dawn encircled her with ice in an effort to keep the enemies from getting close. Quilava, followed orders perfectly, knocking Garbodor over and then bouncing off to knock out an Amoongus.

Ash slumped against the door and closed his eyes as he heard N running towards him. _I don't want them to know I'm awake..._

Ash focused hard to focus his Aura. He felt his heart racing with something he hadn't felt in days: hope. He could almost see the battle clearly, even with his eyes shut. Dawn was picking apart Team Plasma's Pokemon, on her own.

He was abruptly cut off from these thoughts as the glass door to his chamber slid open, and he crashed onto the ground. He almost yelped in pain, but kept the ruse of himself being unconscious. N began to try and lift him up, so Ash actively dead-weighted himself so that the teenager would struggle. Still, N managed to hoist him up to a standing position, and Ash heard a familiar _swhink_ sound, and felt something cold against the flesh of his throat. Once again, he had a knife held to his throat. _This sure has been happening to me a lot, _Ash couldn't help but think.

"STOP! EVERYTHING!" N shrieked in a childlike anger.

Ash focused his Aura to see what was going on. Dawn and her team had managed to take out almost all of Team Plasma's Pokemon, but everyone had stopped the battle to turn and see what the King of Team Plasma was yelling for. Dawn gasped in fear and anger when she saw Ash's life in such a compromising state.

Ash realized that Ghetsis was nowhere to be found, at least not under the scope of his Aura. But at the time, he didn't much care. _Dawn, keep fighting. I can't let what happened to me happen to you._

"You. You're the one from Nimbasa. Are you telling me you came all this way, with a broken arm, on a suicide mission to get revenge? Just to get back at me and ruin my plans?" N asked, more bewildered than angry.

Dawn laughed. "You would think that, huh? No. I don't care about my arm. I don't even care that I could have died."

"Then...why? Why are you doing this? Why are you challenging the greatness of my ideals?" N yelled in confusion.

Dawn shook her head. "Because of that boy you're holding hostage. Ash has done everything for me. And I'm not leaving until you give him back!"

The words gave Ash a warm feeling that he remembered quite well. Beside him, Ash could feel N trembling. Not just with anger...but confusion...and possibly fear. Fear of the unknown.

Ash was dropped onto his knees as he heard N step forward.

"IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!" N yelled, making everyone in the carrier jump, "WHAT MAKES THIS BOY SO SPECIAL? WHAT MAKES IT SO THAT EVERY POKEMON AND PERSON HE COMES ACROSS LOVES HIM?"

N grabbed his hair and tugged at it. "This...THIS ISN'T HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE! HIS POKEMON SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO ME! BOTH DRAGONS SHOULD RECOGNIZE THE PURITY OF MY IDEAL WORLD!"

After a few sharp breaths and shaky tears, N issued an order. "Capture the girl. If she resists, I'm cutting this kid's throat. Screw Zekrom. He can stay hidden, and Reshiram and I will free the world."

In his mind, Aura allowed Ash to see the heartbroken look on Dawn's face. It gave Ash a renewed strength, a new resolve to make sure that he was going to make sure N's day just kept getting worse.

_Like hell._ He thought, _Well, this worked before..._

N turned around, and Ash made his move; he reached out and grabbed the Pokemon belt that N was carrying HIS team - Ash's team - on. This took N by surprise, but Ash used the leverage to raise himself and bury his knee into N's groin. N leaned forward and wheezed as N ripped the Pokemon belt off the teen. Ash then pushed N against the railing.

"Ash used Headbutt." He spat out angrily. And true enough, Ash reared his head back and drove his forehead into N's jaw, knocking the teen over the railing and against the hard metal floor of the heli-carrier.

"PROTECT LORD N!" The Plasma Guards the remaining guards circled N with their Pokemon, and sent two to detain Ash.

Ash released all of six Pokemon to see the Team N was using: Pikachu, Charizard, Palpitoad, Sceptile, Staraptor, and Krookodile. He realized that once Pikachu was with the team, Snorlax must have been sent back to Professor Oak. But each member of the team had a black collar on their necks that N was using to control them.

They each looked at Ash in shock, delight, and confusion. With no time to greet them, Ash ran up to Pikachu, and with pure adrenaline, ripped the collars right off of the Electric Mouse.

Guards began to charge the stairs, but Dawn was having none of it. "Lopunny, use Ice Beam on the stairs to cover Ash!"

Within seconds, the stairs became icy and unsafe, and the two guards who tried to ascend them were flung onto their backs.

The Magnemites behind Ash shocked him at the sight of the defiance, but it didn't stop Ash. He still ran to Charizard and ripped the collar off of his Fire Type. Charizard returned the favor by knocking the Magnemites out with Flamethrower.

As Ash ripped all the collars of his beloved Pokemon, Pikachu leaped into his arms and nuzzled his trainer.

"Pikachu..." Ash said, feeling happier than he had in as long as he could remember, "...I'm so sorry buddy. Let's...let's get out of here."

"Pika pi!" Pikachu cried happily

Ash returned all his comrades save for Pikachu and Charizard. He collapsed onto the back of his dragon. "Charizard...use Dragon Rage on the cockpit window so Dawn and I have a way out of here!"

Dawn heard the command and recalled her team, except Togekiss. She climbed aboard the flier, and followed as Charizard carried out his command.

Dragon Rage burst through the windshield of Team Plasma's carrier, and Charizard emerged through the wreckage, Togekiss behind them.

Dawn yelled something to Ash in a state of ecstasy of succeeding in the cunning escape, but it faded as she saw Ash's slumped frame draped across Charizard's back: he had passed out. Next to him, Pikachu was prodding at Ash, trying to get him to wake up. As they began their descent, Dawn had Togekiss speed up as much as possible until she was next to the dragon.

"Charizard, you have to be careful! Ash fainted on y-" Dawn yelled, but her yell turned to a yelp as the limp form of Ash jutted forward and almost fell off the Fire Type.

Taking heed of the message, Charizard reached back, and pulled Ash in front of him so that he was carrying the boy in his arms instead.

* * *

><p>From the ground, Cynthia and Alder couldn't believe what they were seeing as a blue explosion burst through the aircraft's front window. They had taken to the ground to strategize, but it seemed unnecessary now.<p>

"No way..." muttered Alder.

"Wow..." Cynthia turned to Alder and smirked. "And you said bringing them was a bad idea."

Charizard and Togekiss landed, and everyone's happiness turned into concern at seeing the state Ash was in: he had bruises all over his face, and his body had some burns that seemed to come from some sort of electrical shock. Alder took Ash from Charizard and ran inside the League building to get him to the medical facility, Cynthia, Dawn, Pikachu, and Charizard not far behind. The Elite Four members, including Grimsley who had come running as soon as he was available, stayed behind and finished detaining the five Team Plasma Sages.

Once they got Ash into a hospital bed to be examined, the doctors and Nurse Joy ushered everyone out of the room.

"So...what happened when you got up there?" Alder asked Dawn, clearly impressed.

Dawn was much more focused on Ash's well being, but flashed a smile as she begun her explanation...

* * *

><p>"Father...I...how have things gone so wrong?" N asked Ghetsis, distraught.<p>

Ghetsis, who had retreated to the inner chambers of the heli-carrier with Reshiram, turned around and said nothing to the boy. His expression was truly unreadable, and it frightened N slightly.

"Father, what do we do? The sages...all of them have been apprehended. Do I still challenge Alder tomo-"

N was cut off as Ghetsis backhanded him, knocking N to the floor. N looked up, scared and confused, at the man who had taught him everything about Pokemon and the evils of Pokemon training.

"The sages are of no importance anymore." Ghetsis hissed. "They were expendable the moment you entered the League. Tomorrow you will use Reshiram to defeat Alder. We've come far too close to our goal to go back now."

"But...they have the boy AND the Black Stone." N replied, flinching.

Ghetsis smirked. "The worst case scenario for tomorrow is that the boy is able to unleash Zekrom...but even if you and Reshiram have to engage them in battle...I have something to tip the odds in our favor."

N looked up, tilting his head in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Do you know why I took Reshiram when the girl entered the ship instead of using him to simply kill her?" Ghetsis asked the green-haired boy.

N merely shook his head, so Ghetsis continued, "Simple, lad: self-preservation. His firepower would have completely destroyed this ship, taking us all down with it. As long as I...or either one of us, of course, lives and has this Pokemon, we can achieve the goals we created when we crafted Team Plasma. So, after you opened my eyes to the nature of Zekrom and Reshiram - the constant struggle they're destined to have with one another - I decided to put in a little insurance policy to make sure that we're on the winning side."

N nodded obediently from the ground. "Sorry to question, father..."

* * *

><p>"...and so Ash and Pikachu here got on Charizard and we all got out of there." Dawn finished her story. Both Piplup and Pikachu sat on her lap, chattering to each other, clearly both thrilled to see each other again. Dawn was absentmindedly taking turns petting both of them with her left arm. She turned to Pikachu and gave him a hug before saying, "It's so good to have you back, buddy! Ash really missed you. Well, I did too of course."<p>

"Pika cha!" Pikachu replied happily, nuzzling against Dawn's cheek.

Cynthia laughed. "Very impressive, taking out all of those Team Plasma thugs. You've certainly gotten a lot stronger since when we first left."

Dawn blushed slightly. "Well I mean, you guys sure helped me with that training and everything..."

Nurse Joy exited the room and approached the group. "Well, he looks like he's seen the bad end of a bar fight: black eye, some electrical burns, a little banged up and bruised. But nothing serious. Certainly not falling off a Ferris Wheel or drowning in Pinwheel Forest." She finished that last part with a small wink.

There was a collective sigh of relief, even from Charizard, who was leaning against the wall on the other side of the waiting room.

"Feel free to go in and see him, but he is still passed out. We have him on some pain medication, so even if he does wake up, he'll be a little...out of it." Nurse Joy said, sweatdropping.

Cynthia and Alder both looked at each other, then back to Dawn. "Hey kid, why don't you go in? Cynthia and I are going to train up for my match tomorrow. Besides, I bet he'd rather see you and his Pokemon more than us."

A wide smile spread across Dawn's face, but she pulled it back just enough to ask, "Are you sure?"

After a quick nod from the two Champions, the girl dashed inside Ash's room with Pikachu, Pilup, and Charizard behind her.

Pikachu hopped up onto the bed and sat down on Ash's chest. He chuckled slightly at Ash's light snoring. Dawn sat down next to the bed, and Piplup jumped onto her lap. Charizard just stood at the foot of the bed, smiling somewhat.

"I bet you guys really missed him, huh?" Dawn asked to the two Pokemon. Pikachu and Charizard both nodded, although Pikachu's nod was much more enthusiastic for having been separated from Ash longer.

Dawn laughed. It felt good to laugh; it was something she had stopped doing when Ash allowed himself to be taken by Team Plasma. But now that Ash was back, everything felt right in the world. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to forget that the fate of Unova would be at stake. She had Ash back. And she was happy.

The laughter caused a groggy, medicated Ash Ketchum to open his eyes. He first saw the Electric Mouse Pokemon sitting on his chest, peering at him with curiosity.

"Piiiikachuuuuu," He said, slurring his words slightly, "I missed you sooooooo much. You're like...my brother, you know that? Just smaller and you go zap."

Piplup had to stifle his laughter behind his flippers. Dawn to had a hard time containing herself from laughing. Pikachu and Charizard didn't even bother trying to hide it as they laughed at the boys medicated words.

"Charizaaaard! You did so good...hey, did you get a haircut? You look like...hey, you know what else I miss? Pudding." Ash muttered, before turning to rollover onto his side. Pikachu quickly hopped off of his trainer to allow him to do so. "I haven't had pudding in like...ten years from now, when I'm twenty."

At this point, both Dawn and Piplup were laughing as well, not bothering to hide it either. Ash rolled over and saw them both their for the first time since being awake.

"Daaawn! Dawny Dawny Daaaawn!" He said, almost as if he was singing, causing everyone in the room to laugh harder. "You saved my life. Or lunch. Maybe both. You're just awesome. Or delicious. Maybe both. You know what? You're beautiful. Like a painting."

Dawn blushed furiously, stood up and stroked Ash's hair, and through her laughter, told him, "I think you need to get a little more sleep, Ash."

He shut his eyes and answered, "Yes ma'am." Not long after he began snoring again.

Dawn's stomach rumbled loudly, as she realized it was the middle of the afternoon, and she hadn't eaten anything that day. "Hey, you guys hungry? I think I'm going to run down to the cafeteria and grab some good."

Piplup, Pikachu, and Charizard all respectively yelled their names out to her to confirm that yes, they definitely could go for some food.

As the girl walked to the food court of the League building, she couldn't help but realize how numbing it felt to finally have Ash back. _I think I forgot how it was to feel this happy when they had him._

She loaded up a tray with food until it was almost too heavy to carry, knowing she was going to be sharing it, of course. She was almost tackled to the ground by the eager Pokemon when she arrived back in Ash's room with it. "Whoa, eager much, you guys?" She replied with a laugh.

* * *

><p>When Dawn was almost done with her food, Ash wearily opened his eyes again. He seemed a little more lucid this time.<p>

"Dawn...hey there." He said, smiling faintly. He reached down to where Pikachu was sitting on his bed and pat the mouse on the head. Pikachu replied with a happy, "Pi," through a mouthful of food.

"Hey Ash," she replied, smiling gently, "how are you feeling?"

The pain medication was beginning to wear off, and Ash couldn't lie, he felt sore all over. But it was nice to lay in a comfortable bed for a change, and knowing he was back with his friends just made him feel like a new man.

"...now that you're here? Never better." He answered. "Hey, is that pudding?"

Dawn blushed as she handed the boy the unopened cup of pudding. "That's sweet of you...yeah, you were rambling about pudding earlier, remember?"

Ash sat up and accepted the treat. "I was awake earlier?"

Dawn, Piplup, Pikachu, and Charizard all glanced at each other and laughed a bit. "Yeah," Dawn answered, "you were going on about pudding, sang my name a few times, and asked Charizard if he got a haircut."

Ash groaned. "First I get beat up, then I get shocked, but then I get to humiliate myself too. Awesome day."

The happiness in Dawn's voice faded. "What...what did they do to you, Ash?"

Ash frowned, even as he took a spoonful of his delicious pudding. "...it's nothing."

"We saw you on television, it sure as hell wasn't 'nothing,'...you looked awful. I won't force you but...I want you to know I'm here." Dawn replied.

Ash gave her a small grin. "I know, Dawn. You stormed an aircraft and took out a bunch of Guards to save me. Remember when you said I was your hero for saving you guys in Castelia?"

Dawn nodded, and Ash added, "Well, you're my hero too. And I never got to say it because of what happened, but I'm sorry that I let N push you off the Fer-"

Dawn put a finger over Ash's lips, making him blush. "That wasn't your fault Ash. You don't need to be sorry. I told you...that we'd protect each other right? So...I'm glad that we're each others hero."

Pikachu, Piplup, and Charizard all turned their backs to give the two a little privacy out of respect for the situation.

Ash's smile grew wide. "Yeah...you were right. I'm really glad you came Dawn."

Dawn leaned over and hugged Ash tightly with her left arm. "I am too, even if it's been hard."

Dawn was surprised when Ash reached and with both arms and returned the embrace tightly. He didn't let go either. He enjoyed feeling her warmth against him, and how her soft hair felt against his arms. He had forgotten what the girl smelled like, and he relished taking the scent in once more.

"Ash, are you-?"

"Just...let's stay like this a while, please?" Ash whispered to her, shaking. "I...I didn't think I'd get to do this ever again."

Dawn blushed but complied. They stayed like that for awhile before Ash's stomach growled obnoxiously. "Alright, I should probably eat now." Ash stated with a laugh.

So the two talked with themselves and their Pokemon. A little later, Ash released all his team out to talk to them. They were all thrilled to see Ash in once peace and nearly buried him underneath their hugs of affection.

As the day gave way to dusk, Ash recalled his team to their Pokeballs, and Pikachu curled up on the foot of his bed and went to sleep. Piplup as well had fallen asleep on Dawn's lap.

"So tomorrow's the big day, isn't it? The day I find out if I'm Zekrom's chosen hero or something." Ash asked, looking out the window.

Dawn's eyes widened. "Ash, you...look at you! You're in no shape to go out there and fight tomorrow."

Ash frowned and turned to her. "Dawn...when I first got to Unova, Zekrom appeared to me and Pikachu in a vision, and drained Pikachu's electric power. Cynthia told me that no one has seen Zekrom in decades, maybe centuries. You don't think that means something?"

Dawn bit her lip. "Ash...you can't."

"I don't think I have a choice. If Reshiram can defeat Alder tomorrow, who else could stop them?" Ash asked, looking down at his lap.

Unexpectedly, Dawn placed Piplup on a chair next to her and threw herself onto the bed next to him, wrapped her left arm around his shoulders, and buried her face into his neck. "I don't want you to, Ash. This is the second time I've almost lost you. I don't think I could do it again."

Ash slowly returned the embrace. Cynthia's words from well over a week ago echoed in his mind. _She loves you._

Ash thought about this. _This...this must be really hard for her. _He remembered the way he felt when she had hit the ground after falling from the Nimbasa Ferris Wheel. He felt like that for one night. She would have been feeling that way for almost two weeks.

"Dawn...I..." _Come on Ash. Just tell her._

She looked up at him and he realized she was crying. For him. _No. I can't tell her. What if I die tomorrow?_

"...I don't want you to worry about me." He settled on that.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. "Of course I'm going to Ash. I...care about you."

Ash was glad at the moment she didn't say it. Because if she had, it would be that much harder to do what he knew he was going to have to do tomorrow.

He didn't know how long they stayed like that. But eventually, he felt Dawn's body movement slow down and some light snoring: she had fallen asleep against him. Ash slid their bodies down into a lying position, and feeling her warmth against him, he fell into a peaceful sleep as well.

A little while later, Cynthia opened the door to check on them. At the sight, she hesitated, unsure if she should wake them up or let them be. She reminded herself of the journey up until that point, and how most of the hardships have fallen on their young shoulders. Ultimately, she turned and left the two undisturbed.

* * *

><p>Outside of Team Plasma's heli-carrier, parked in a desolate location, N marveled at the invention Ghetsis had made to aid Reshiram against a possible battle against Zekrom.<p>

"Father..." N began, before breaking out into a childish grin. "It's perfect."

Ghetsis sneered. "As well it should be, I made it. Get ready boy...tomorrow, Team Plasma will take their position as rulers of the world."

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter.<strong>


	13. Legends

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 13: Legends**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

* * *

><p>It had been the most restful night Ash had experienced since he was capture by Team Plasma. Sleeping with Dawn's arm strung across him brought him great comfort, especially after all the jagged, restless nights he had spent in that cramped cell with a lumpy cot.<p>

Sadly, it was cut short by the sound of an explosion in the distance. Both his and Dawn's eyes snapped open at the sound.

Dawn climbed off of the boy as he sat up in bed and nudged Pikachu awake. The Electric Type stretched his body out and yawned before sitting up and tilting his head at the curious sight of Dawn and Ash sharing the bed. Fortunately, he said nothing about it as he sensed their urgency.

"What was that sound?" Dawn wondered aloud with a hint of alarm in her voice.

Ash rubbed the remnants of sleep from his eyes. "No idea. Maybe Team Plasma is trying something before N challenges Alder. What time is their match?"

"Eleven this morning." Dawn replied, hopping off the bed to dig through her backpack.

Ash looked at the clock. Then did a double-take. "Uh...Dawn? It's noon."

"WHAT?" Dawn yelled, looking up at the clock to verify. "Cynthia said she would wake us up in time! Why wouldn't they come get us?"

Ash hopped off his bed and immediately regretted it; despite the fact that his black eye was fading, and that his wounds were healing up well, his body immediately began to ache at his quick actions. Still, this was no time to slow down. "We need to get dressed."

"Ash-" Dawn began but Ash cut her off by turning and grabbing her shoulders.

"Dawn, listen. I have to do this. If I'm the one who's supposed to awaken Zekrom, I need to be there. If I'm not, N could take over all of Unova. After that, who knows how long it is until they start separating people from their Pokemon. I have to try." Ash told her, looking deep into her eyes.

Dawn just sighed and smiled. "I know you do. I was just going to say...you'll need this."

Dawn pulled Ash's hat out from her backpack. She ruffled his unruly hair for a bit before jamming it back onto his head.

"...now let's go kick some ass." She said, smiling at the boy.

* * *

><p>After an awkward shuffle of changing clothes while the other turned away, the two ran out of the room, Pikachu and Piplup following closely behind. They ran down to the registration desk, but found that there was no intern there to greet them. In fact, the whole building seemed empty.<p>

"I'm really not liking this..." Ash muttered.

"Come on, let's check the battle arena." Dawn suggested, and the two trainers and their Pokemon turned to run down the hallway towards the stadium area. The two pushed open the large doors that lead to the stadium...but the battle arena as well was empty.

"Crap...no where to be found." Dawn asked. She turned to Ash and she saw that he was just standing there his eyes shut, hands on his temples.

"Ash...what are you doing?" She questioned in a confused tone.

"Well, when you're in isolation for days, you learn how your Aura works. Let me focus for a minute." He replied, not opening his eyes.

_Think, Ash. Focus on Cynthia. Focus on Alder. Find N. Find Ghetsis._

At first, the only essence he could see was Dawn's next to him. She was so close that he could practically see her against the blackness of his eyelids. He forced his mind to expand, trying to "see" further off than he was used to...

_Ash._

Ash almost snapped his eyes open as he heard a foreign voice in his forehead. But in the distance, he saw something spherical in his mind. It almost looked like it was vibrating. It was practically impossible to see, as it was dark charcoal color against the black background of his mind. _Is that the Black Stone?_

_Ash._

Ash turned to where he heard the voice, and sure enough, he saw the same, quivering black sphere in his mind, albeit with difficulty.

_I...I need to get there!_

Ash opened his eyes to see that he was facing the opposite door of the battle area. He grabbed Dawn's left hand and ran with her towards his goal.

"ACK! Ash, wha...did you see something?" Dawn yelled, trying to keep pace with the boy who was pulling her.

"Pika pi!" Exclaimed Pikachu, who hadn't seen them take off and chased the two down, Piplup beside him.

The four hoisted the door open. Ash paused briefly at the tri-forked hallway, but -

_Ash._

Ash turned to his right, following the voice. "I think...I think the Black Stone is calling me." He shouted back.

"Ash, are you sure you're feeling okay?" Dawn asked him in disbelief. She had been told by Cynthia how Ash had used some very vague, basic Aura power in the Silph building, but this just seemed like too much. Could he really have mastered it in such short time?

Ash turned and grinned to her. "With you here? Never better."

Luckily her turned and kept running, and didn't see her cheeks turn crimson at the response.

As they ran down the hall, they came to an elevator. The four entered, and inside, there were only two buttons: MAIN LOBBY and CHAMPION'S HALL. Ash, Dawn, Pikachu, and Piplup all exchanged a confused glance before Dawn reached over and hit the CHAMPION'S HALL button.

They felt the elevator speed down into the surface of the earth at an alarmingly fast pace.

Dawn turned to Ash and asked, "Are you ready?"

Ash gave Dawn a confident grin. "Ready as I'll ever be. It all comes down to this, right?"

Dawn nodded and gave her own grin. "Right."

The elevator door opened, and they saw a stone monument building about 100 yards away. Roars from Reshiram could be heard coming from it.

"That...that's gotta be it!" Ash yelled, and he went off running towards the building, Dawn, Pikachu, and Piplup following closely behind him.

Their hearts all raced in fear and excitement. As they neared the building, they saw some odd statues decorating the grounds in front, in an odd pattern.

But the excitement faded and the fear grew as they got closer and realized that those _weren't_ statues. They were bodies.

The Elite Four were all unconscious. All of them were scattered in the front of the building, each covered in blood, their Pokemon nowhere to be found. Various League Officials were scattered around as well, looking no better off.

"This...no." Ash said simply, almost unable to comprehend how that could happen to the four strongest trainers in the region.

Dawn tugged on Ash's arm. "Ash, come on, we have to get inside!"

Ash nodded, but had difficulty tearing his eyes away from the entered between a few pillars into the opening of the building, and nearly tripped over something.

That something was Cynthia, who lay on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Holy crap..." Dawn whispered. She never thought she would say the Champion of her region, who had been a pinnacle of strength this entire journey, in such a state.

Ash knelt down next to the woman, placed an arm behind her head and attempted to pick her up, but she stopped him.

"Ash...stop. I...I can't help you in this state." She said, fading in and out of consciousness.

"What happened?" Dawn asked, kneeling down beside them.

Cynthia groaned in pain once more. "We were all gathered here...we knew this was going to be the last battle and..." She took a sharp, painful sounding breath before being able to continue, "we knew you kids had gone through enough. So I took the Black Stone, hoping that N had been wrong about you, Ash."

"How did they do this to all of you?" Ash asked gently.

Cynthia closed her eyes and continued, "Some sort of device...it was like they had appeared out of thin air. Reshiram was there, and he attacked the Elite Four before they could even draw out any Pokemon to defend themselves...it was madness. I got in here and tried to fend them off, but it was no use."

Ash muttered a word he knew he would never say in front of his mother, before telling the blond woman, "Come on, we'll get you to help."

Cynthia coughed and shook her head. "No. There's no time. Take the Black Stone and go further inside the building. Alder and N are fighting now. You have to stop them. I couldn't free Zekrom from this form, but maybe you can."

Cynthia reached into her longcoat and pulled out the Black Stone. "Just let me sit here for awhile. I'm not wounded terribly...I just need a minute."

Ash set her against the wall, and knew immediately she was lying as the older woman faded out of consciousness. Still, respecting her wishes, he reached out and grabbed the Black Stone. As he did, he felt like an explosion had gone off in his head.

_!_

He dropped to his knees as he held the stone, cringing in pain.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Dawn cried in shock.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu exclaimed, hopping up onto is trainer's shoulders and nudging him with his cheek.

"Pip, piplup!" Piplup yelled, tugging Dawn's socks and pointing at the staircase down the hall from them: sounds of battle could be heard growing stronger every second.

As soon as it had come, the voice yelling to Ash had stopped. He looked down at the rock he was holding in his hands. He then glanced over to Pikachu, with a scared but determined look on his face. "We have to do this, Pikachu."

Pikachu glanced in Ash's eyes and understood immediately what Ash meant; they had to be the ones to wake up Zekrom and fight Reshiram.

He got up and grabbed Dawn's hand, "Come on, we have to help Alder!"

Dawn nodded and the two ran off, Piplup right behind them, Pikachu riding on Ash's shoulder. They each took the stairs two at a time, and as they bounded up towards the sounds of battle.

Ash and Dawn both groaned in contempt when they saw the battle unfolding.

Reshiram loomed overhead as N battled Alder's Pokemon. Ghetsis was riding atop the dragon, commanding him to roar periodically to frighten the Pokemon on the field. They realized where the Elite Fours Teams had gone: N had stolen them, and arranged a team from them to take on Alder. Each one was equipped with the same type of control collar that he had used on Ash's Team as well.

Alder's back was to the two young trainers as they approached the battle, but N peered past him and gave a lopsided grin as they approached.

"Ah, Ash, my good pal! I was wondering when you would join us! Overslept as usual?" N replied, before issuing Shauntal's Chandelure to use Flamethrower on Alder's Vanilluxe.

Alder glanced over his shoulders at the two young trainers approaching. "Stay behind me!" He barked viciously, before issuing a counter command to Vanilluxe: to use Light Screen.

Vanilluxe a Light Screen in order to block the attack, but it only partially worked, wounding the Ice Type. Chandelure was forced to follow up with a Shadow Ball, finishing off Alder's Pokemon.

Alder clutched a Pokeball angrily. "One left..." He muttered.

_One left? Oh Arceus...come on, it can't end like this._ Ash thought. But in his heart, he knew...the day was far from over.

He looked over to see Dawn anxious as well. He realized he was still holding her hand, and squeezed it harder to show her support. In response, Dawn moved her body closer to his.

Alder called out Volcarona, and issued it to use Bug Buzz. Despite having a type disadvantage, the powerful attack was able to dispose of the already weakened Chandelure.

"Two left for me, sir." N replied, looking almost nervous as well. "Sharpedo, come on out!"

N sent out Grimsley's Sharpedo and immediately issued a Waterfall attack. The attack hit Volcarona, causing it to flinch. Seizing the opportunity, N commanded a second Waterfall attack. It blasted Alder's final Pokemon, but it stayed up. Alder ordered Volcarona to use Quiver Dance to boost its speed. The boost allowed it to dodge another Waterfall attack and counter with Bug Buzz once more. The strong attack managed to take down Sharpedo in one hit, leaving both Alder and N with one Pokemon left.

N scowled. "I won't lose! Mienshao! Finish this!"

N sent out Marshall's graceful Fighting Type to finish the job.

"Volcarona, use Overheat!" Alder yelled, but N yelled out his own command: "Fake Out, Mienshao!"

Fake Out was able to hit first, causing Volcarona to flinch once more.

"Use Acrobatics!" N screamed, voice rising with excitement.

The effective attack landed...and Volcarona was unable to battle.

Alder swore to himself. _I failed, _he thought, _my duty to __protect this region...I failed it._

N recalled the last Elite Four Pokemon he had commandeered for the fight. "A worthy challenge. I can see why they called you Champion...until now of course."

Reshiram landed behind N with a triumphant roar. Ghetsis jumped off the dragon and clapped N on the back. "This is it N. Our time of greatness is at hand. We shall begin our rule over this region!"

Ash had seen enough. "NO! IT'S NOT OVER!"

He ran in front of Alder as the ex-Champion yelled out, "No, Ash, get back here."

N sneered. "And what are you going to do? Do you really think Zekrom will respond to you? If he had, why are you standing there with the Black Stone, instead of with the Deep Black Dragon at your side?"

Ash had no answer. He was shaking angrily, holding the Black Stone out in front of him as if it would do something to stop N and Ghetsis. He had been shaking so hard, he didn't feel the Black Stone shaking either.

"I don't care! I'm not letting this happen!" Ash yelled back, defiantly.

N and Ghetsis looked at each other and laughed. "We are beginning a new kingdom. If you want to stop us...make a proper challenge in our throne room." N replied, casually.

"Proper throne room?" Dawn repeated, "This isn't a castle."

Ghetsis held up the remote he had been using to keep the Elite Four's Pokemon under control. "No. But this is."

The ground beneath them began to shake. A loud grinding noise could be heard surrounding them and rubble began to fall from the roof of the Champion's Hall.

"We...we need to get out of here, now!" Alder yelled to the two. They obeyed the command as Dawn picked up Piplup and ran off with him, Ash and Pikachu following closely behind.

* * *

><p>As they got to the entrance of the Hall, Alder made no hesitation on scooping up Cynthia's frame as they exited, even if it slowed him down.<p>

When they exited, it seemed the Elite Four and the various League Officials had already managed to flee, or worse...been taken.

Rocks began to fall from the top of the cavern as the group reached the elevator. The ride up to the surface itself was shaky, but thankfully the elevator itself held out for them to reach the top. They exited the elevator and breathed a sigh of relief to find Marshall waiting there for them, looking like he had just been through a war...

"Alder...please tell me you won..." He said, between painful breaths.

Alder looked shock. "You need to get medical attention! You look ready to keel over!"

Marshall shook his head. "There's no time...you need to look outside. And I'll take that as a no... Come on, let's get to the back door."

Marshall limped forward and ushered them down a hallway. Alder was clearly displeased, "Marshall, we can take it from here!"

Marshall just shook his head again. "No...I need to show you this. Then I'll get Cynthia to the hospital wing. Besides, I'm the one who found all the medical staff tied up in the storage closet, you should be thanking me. I'll be fine, just shut up and follow."

Before Alder could argue with him, Marshall opened the back entrance to the building. Ash, Dawn, Pikachu, and Piplups jaws all dropped at the same time. Not only did Alder's jaw drop, but he accidentally dropped Cynthia as well. Because he was behind everyone, he quickly picked her back up and hoped they hadn't noticed.

The rumbling sound was now apparent: a castle had risen up from the ground behind the Pokemon League.

"Holy mother of crap. How long have they been at this?" Alder whispered to no one in particular.

They heard the faint roar of Reshiram from the top of the castle.

Alder handed Cynthia over to Marshall. "Hopefully you dropping her didn't bang her up any more." Marshall quipped, causing Alder to shoot him a death glare.

* * *

><p>Alder, Ash, Dawn, and their pokemon charged towards the castle, but were stopped at the gate by two Plasma guards dressed as knights, carrying lances.<p>

"You may enter. N wishes you to meet him at the top of the castle." One of them droned. "Follow us."

The two guards opened the front gates, and the trio was lead inside. In normal circumstances, they would have attacked the guards and fled for the top themselves. But the hallways of the castle were lined as far as the eye could see with similar guards with lances. In front of them, a Cofagrigus charged a Shadow Ball attack, to go off at any second.

They were lead up for flights of stairs in similar, regal looking hallways. Finally, something dawned on Pikachu. He whispered a few, "pikas" in Ash's ear.

Ash's close bond with Pikachu allowed him to understand. He turned and whispered back, "This is where they kept you?"

Pikachu nodded sadly.

Ash felt something flare in his gut, but it was interrupted when they reached a final, spiral staircase. One of the knight-like guards turned to them. "Ascend. N and Ghetsis await there."

Alder lead the group up the staircase, and pushed open a wooden trapdoor at the top of the stairs. Hoisting himself up, he grabbed Dawn's left hand and helped her up onto the roof as well. Despite the serious of the situation, he quirked an eyebrow at Ash when he realized the boy's eyes had traveled somewhere...inappropriate when Dawn was above him.

Ash shook it off and hopped onto the roof of the castle. The scene seemed way too ominous for his liking.

N sat, slumped and bored looking, in an over-sized throne. Behind him, Reshiram roared fiercely, and Ghetsis stood next to his son, smiling sinisterly as usual.

"Man, it sure took you long enough." N spoke, casual as he usually was. He looked at the Black Stone in Ash's hands. "Still no Zekrom, huh?"

Ash gritted his teeth. "I don't care. I'll stop you no matter what it takes!"

"And how?" N replied cockily, "You failed to stop me in the Tournament. You failed to stop me in Nimbasa. You failed to stop me In Saffron. Face it Ash, even if you are Zekrom's hero, you're still a failure."

The words stung Ash, but he didn't back down at all. He was going to retort, but then he heard Dawn yell from behind him.

"Ash is twice the man you'll ever be!" She screamed in fury, "All you've done is sneak around, hide behind Reshiram and your dad, and ambush people! Ash has been taking you guys head on the whole time! You're nothing more than a bunch of cowards!"

Ghetsis laughed. "Enough of you. Reshiram, Hyper Beam the boy."

Reshiram reared its head back and launched the laser and the young man.

"ASH, NO!" Dawn screamed in terror.

"MOVE ASH!" Alder yelled as well.

Ash defensively held the Black Stone in front of him as he and Pikachu braced themselves for the oncoming blast.

But it never came.

After a few seconds, Ash opened his eyes, and a split-second later they expanded in shock: the Black Stone was actively pulling Hyper Beam in and absorbing it. Ash felt the stone grow warm and began to shake. Even after the attack stopped, it continued to glow and shake.

"Oh...crap..." N stated slowly.

A blind flash of light erupted in the room, and Ash felt something knock him onto his back. He rubbed his eyes and looked up. The he rubbed his eyes again to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Holy Arceus..." He muttered.

Zekrom, the Pokemon he had seen in his first day in Unova, stood in front of him in a defensive stance, and roared protectively.

At the sight of its rival. Reshiram reared forward, ready to lunge..but Zekrom turned and faced Ash. It let out a roar and muttered its own name.

At first, no one knew what it meant. Until N spoke.

"He wants to test your ideals." N stated, voice empty.

Ash looked over at the teen, confused.

"You believe in your heart, that your philosophy of catching, training, and befriending Pokemon is the best. Zekrom wants to test you." N replied.

Ash blinked. "...so?"

Alder faceplamed. "Ash...you have to catch Zekrom."

Ash looked up at the dragon in shock. Zekrom nodded in confirmation.

But Ash recovered. His look changed to one of a calm determination. He reached down to his belt, and grabbed a Pokeball. "Alright. Not a problem."

He gritted his teeth, grabbed the brim of his hat, and turned it backwards. "SCEPTILE, I CHOOSE YOU!"

Sceptile popped out of its container and gave Zekrom a cold, unimpressed stare.

Zekrom wasted no time, as its body glowed and charged forward in an absurdly fast way.

_That's Giga Impact._ Ash realized. "Sceptile, Agility to get out of the way!"

Sceptile did so and was even still just barely able to evade the charging dragon.

"Leaf Blade!" Ash commanded.

Sceptile did as it was told, leaping up, twisting in the air, and hitting the slashing move on Zekrom's face. Zekrom took some damage from this, but not enough to prevent it from turning its head and blasting the airborn Sceptile with Dragon Pulse. Sceptile was blasted against the roof of the castle, but managed to climb back up to its feet.

"Hang in there buddy, use Leaf Storm!" Ash yelled.

Sceptile did as told and fired the powerful attack at the dragon. It seemed to be working, causing Zekrom considerable pain - until it opened its mouth and fired a Fusion Bolt that cut through the remaining leaves, and blasting Sceptile into submission.

No longer able to battle, Ash recalled Sceptile. "Good job, pal." He whispered, "You made a good opening effort. Alright, Pikachu, get out there and show him why draining you of your electric attacks was a bad idea!"

"Pi!" Pikachu responded, hopping down to where Sceptile had been.

Zekrom focused its energy, and its head begin to glow pink.

"Pikachu, its looking for Zen Headbutt! Use Quick Attack to get out the way!" Ash yelled, recognizing the attack.

Pikachu just barely dodged as Zekrom's skull crashed into the roof of the castle.

_Good._ "Now, hop on its back and use Thunder Wave!" Ash cried out.

Pikachu made a flying leap, landing on the dragons back, but Zekrom stood up faster than anticipated, shaking Pikachu off before it could fire off the attack.

Zekrom turned around and fired another Fusion Bolt.

"Pikachu, fight back with Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu fired off an intense bolt of lightning at the attack, causing a loud crackle, and surprisingly caused the attacks to cancel each other out.

Everyone watching was visibly taken aback by the events.

"That...how the hell did Pikachu's attack measure up to _Zekrom's?_" Alder asked, flabbergasted.

Dawn recovered with a wide smile. "Ash and Pikachu have been training together longer than anyone. They must bring out the best in each other."

Ghetsis, however was less than pleased. "Impossible." He whispered, seething.

N continued to watch, no expression on his face. He seemed to be carefully evaluating both Zekrom's power, and the way Ash worked together with his Pokemon.

Even Zekrom had a glint of approval in its eyes. But then it covered itself in electric energy and charged for Bolt Strike.

_Crap. _"Pikachu, use Quick Attack and go between its legs to avoid it!" Ash called out.

Pikachu did as such, and Zekrom caught itself from flying right off the top of the castle.

"Quick Pikachu, use Iron Tail on its tail generator while its back is turned!" Ash yelled out, almost not even thinking.

Ash, while even he admits isn't the smartest person, didn't realize that his best thinking, planning, and crafting of strategies was in the hear of battle. The attack landed perfectly, causing the dragon to roar out in pain.

Zekrom turned around, swinging its arm at the ground to swat the smaller Electric Type. Pikachu looked poised to counter, when Ash yelled out, "Take the hit!"

"What's he doing?" Alder asked incredulously.

But Dawn recognized the strategy. "Static." She replied, grinning.

Pikachu nodded firmly, understanding as well. He puffed his fur out as much as possible and braced himself. The blow was painful, but he managed to land on his feet after being flung to the other side of the castle. He looked up and grinned to see Ash's strategy had worked: Zekroms body sparked in away consistent not with one of its attacks, but it had been afflicted with paralysis from Pikachu's Static Ability.

"Alright Pikachu, come back!" Ash yelled out.

Pikachu ran back to Ash's side, slightly disappointed; he wanted to prove his mettle against the legendary.

Ash sensed this. "You did awesome buddy, but I may need you for later." He turned back to the dragon, "Alright, now, Krookodile, you're up!"

The crocodile Pokemon snapped excitedly at its chance. "Open up with Earthquake!" Ash commanded.

Krookodile did so, and launched the attack across the roof of the castle. Despite being paralyzed, Zekrom flew up into the air to avoid the impact.

_Ah, nuts._ "Krookodile, try and knock him down with Stone Edge!'

Krookodile launched the rocks towards Zekrom, but the dragon had other plans; it shot Dragon Pulse at the Ground Type, blasting threw each rock, and blasting Krookodile across the roof.

Ash was too busy watching Krookodile that he missed Zekrom preparing another move as he yelled, "Krookodile, are you alright?"

As Krookodile tried to get up, Zekrom slammed down on top of it from the sky with Giga Impact, knocking Krookodile out completely.

_I couldn't even get a hit in, damn..._ Ash thought as he recalled Krookodile. Still, he whispered, "Thank you Krookodile, good try. Palpitoad, go get 'em!"

The toad Pokemon hopped forward out of its Pokeball, eager to attack.

"Mud Shot, Palpitoad!" Ash yelled out!

"Palp!" Palpitoad replied, sending out globs of hard mud at Zekrom. Paralysis kicked in, and Zekrom was unable to dodge as it roared from the contact of the assault.

_Now._ Ash grabbed an empty Pokeball from the side pocket of his backpack and chucked it at Zekrom. The dragon, not nearly done, swatted the device away before it could attempt to catch him. _Or not,_ Ash thought.

Zekrom fired Dragon Pulse at Palpitoad, who hopped out of the way just in the nick of time. "Try Supersonic, Palpitoad!" Ash suggested, hoping to make it even more difficult for the dragon to battle.

Palpitoad fired the soundwave at the Deep Black Pokemon...but it failed. Zekrom took advantage of the stunned Palpitoad and fired another Dragon Pulse, this one knocking out the valiant fighter.

_Half my team down, and Pikachu's not exactly at one hundred percent. Staraptor and Charizard both have a type disadvantage. But he's taken damage too. _Ash thought, before realizing, he needed to buy a moment to form a strategy. _I'll need Charizard to try and put up a good fight against this...I'll just have to have Staraptor blitz him for all its worth and hope for the best._

Ash gritted his teeth again and called out Staraptor.

"One electric attack and that Staraptor's a goner." Alder said with grimace.

Dawn turned to him in anger, left fist clenched. "No way, Ash's won battles with type disadvantages all the time. It's practically his specialty."

Ash smirked as he heard the kind words. _Too bad I don't actually have a strategy for this. _"Staraptor, use Close Combat, give it all you got!"

The Pokemon did as it was told. Zekrom opened its mouth to use Fusion Bolt, but before it even could, it was interrupted by Staraptor abruptly blasting it in the face with its wings and talons. Staraptor continued the relentless assault, actually causing the dragon to stumble, and fall over onto its back for the first time in the match.

Ash was stunned by Staraptors dedication and tenacity. _That...went better than I thought._

Alder's jaw dropped, while Dawn grinned smugly. "I told you he could do it."

Ash threw another empty Pokeball at the dragon. This one made contact and the red beam of light pulled the legend into the capsule.

But the second that Zekrom entered the device, it shattered - not just opened, shattered - as the dragon escaped with a furious roar.

Too surprised to dodge, Zekrom knocked out Staraptor with a single Fusion Bolt attack.

"Good try Staraptor." Ash said gently as he returned Staraptor for a break. "Alright...Charizard, show 'em who's boss!"

Charizard roared and immediately took flight, dodging another Fusion Bolt attack.

"Awesome job, Charizard! Keep dodging and use Dragon Rage!" Ash called out, heart racing.

Charizard dodged another lightning bolt from the larger dragon, and fired off the blue flames of Dragon Rage the attack hit Zekrom, who roared out in pain.

"Follow it up with Fire Spin, Charizard!" Ash yelled.

Charizard used the attack to encase Zekrom in a swirling vortex of flame, temporarily trapping Zekrom. Unable to see his opponent, Zekrom began sending stray Dragon Pulse attacks into the air, hoping one would hit Charizard. Once Charizard noticed the pattern, he flew to the ground to get safely out of range.

"Charge up another Dragon rage for once the flames stop!" Ash called out. Then Ash turned his head and whispered a command to Pikachu. Dawn, Piplup, Alder, and even N and Ghetsis watched with curiosity.

The flames around Zekrom died down, and Charizard hit it with another Dragon Rage before Zekrom could retaliate. Realizing it needed a new strategy, Zekrom took to the sky to distance itself. Charizard followed behind him, launching Flamethrower attacks at Ash's command. The last attack hit Zekrom's tail, but it turns out this had been part of the dragons plan: the momentum swung the dragon around so that it was upside down in the air, facing Charizard. It surrounded itself in electricity, and rammed into Charizard with Bolt Strike. Both dragons spiraled downwards until they crashed into the castle.

Charizard was knocked out, but Zekrom was having trouble getting back up.

"Awesome job Charizard, you're amazing." Ash said to his Pokeball after returning the dragon. "NOW, PIKACHU!"

Zekrom looked at Ash expectantly, but Pikachu was nowhere to be found; the Electric Mouse had run off to the side of the castle perimeter under Ash's instructions. The moment Charizard had been recalled, Pikachu enacted the plan.

Undetected by Zekrom, Pikachu snuck up on it and jumped atop the dragons head.

"FULL POWER THUNDER ATTACK!" Ash yelled

Pikachu unleashed every ounce of electric energy his body contained into one, final attack, zapping Zekrom with all his might.

Zekrom unleashed a roar once again. But this was not a roar of pain, anger, or retaliation. It was a roar of defeat.

Pikachu hopped off the dragons head as Ash once again threw a Pokeball at Zekrom.

The Pokeball unleashed its beam to contain Zekrom. The ball wobbled for a few seconds, before the legendary dragon conceded to Ash, and allowed itself to be captured.

A stunned silence seemed to hang over the castle. After the reality struck Ash that yes, he had in fact overpowered Zekrom he sprinted out onto the field and hoisted the Pokeball into the air, doing his victory pose.

He quickly looked over his Pokeballs, realizing he quickly needed to choose one to send back to Professor Oak. Without thinking, he quickly pressed the button on Palpitoad's capsule, choosing him to send back to Pallet.

He heard a slow clap coming from the throne. N had stood up...looking genuinely pleased.

"Good...I knew...I knew the second I talked to your Charizard in Nimbasa, that you would be the one to challenge my ideals. Now...it would be no fun to do this against a battered team."

N snapped, and Reshiram let out a weird noise. Ash's Pokeballs and Pikachu were encased in a soft blue light and fully healed by the young man. Pikachu checked himself over to make sure things were up to par. After verifying, he gave Ash a shrug and a thumbs up.

"Now..." N began, "the real fun begins."

* * *

><p><strong>End Chapter.<strong>


	14. Failure Hero

**Failure Hero**

**Chapter 14: Failure Hero**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

* * *

><p>Ash clenched his fists and leaned forward slightly. "I'm ready, N. I'll battle you. Six on six?"<p>

N laughed. "No, I'm done hurting my friends. Its bad enough I had to subject them to radio wave torture, but the ends justify the means."

At the memory of how N used radio waves to control his Pokemon, something snapped in Ash.

"NO, HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" Ash yelled out in fury, taking N by surprise. "HOW CAN YOU CLAIM TO LOVE POKEMON WHEN YOU PHYSICALLY TORTURE THEM?"

N glared back at the boy, not backing down. "I've grown up, my entire life, around Pokemon! Wild Pokemon who had been abused by people like you! Pokemon who have gone through nothing but pain at the hands of Trainers. I need to liberate them, no matter what it takes. If I have to use bad methods to create a paradise, then so be it!"

"IF MY POKEMON HATED BEING WITH ME, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO TORTURE THEM TO GET THEM TO FIGHT FOR YOU!" Ash screamed, not at all keeping his calm like the older boy. "IF YOU WERE RIGHT, THEY WOULD BE GLAD TO BE AWAY FROM ME. WE LOVE EACH OTHER! DAWN AND HER POKEMON LOVE EACH OTHER, THE CHAMPIONS AND THEIR-"

"SHUT UP!" N yelled, losing his cool finally, "You are the rare exception that proves the rule! Nothing more than an insignificant child! Zekrom agrees with you, and Reshiram agrees with me, so that's how we will settle this! We fight with Zekrom and Reshiram! One on one! I will give you time to make your goodbyes...because neither of us may be coming back from this fight."

N turned on his heel, and climbed on top of Reshiram. Ash ran towards them, but it was too late, Reshiram took to the sky and began circling the castle, awaiting its challenger.

Ash stared up at the sky angrily, following the Vast White colossus with his eyes. He twitched in anger, ready to take the challenge.

Before he could really think Alder, Dawn, and Pikachu had walked over beside him.

"Kid, let me do it. Tell Zekrom to listen to me. It's too dangerous." Alder said, grabbing the young man by the shoulders.

Ash paused slightly but shook his head. "No. Zekrom chose me. I need to be the one to do this."

Alder looked the boy in the eyes and knew there would be no talking him out of it. "...Alright. Be careful."

Alder moved out of the way just in time for Dawn to wrap her good arm around Ash. "Ash...please be careful. I can't lose you again."

Ash hugged her back while Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder to nuzzle into him as well. "I will Dawn. Please watch Pikachu while I'm doing this."

The request shocked both Dawn and Pikachu. Pikachu particularly glared angrily at his trainer and uttered, "Pika chu pi pika," in a defiant rage.

Ash shook his head at his first companion. "No, Pikachu. You gave yourself up to protect me. I'm doing this to protect you."

Pikachu and Ash stared in each others eyes for a long time, neither giving in. Finally, Pikachu looked down and sighed.

Pikachu reluctantly allowed himself to be handed to Dawn, who subconsciously squeezed him tightly for security. Ash turned around and let Zekrom free from his Pokeball. The Deep Black Dragon roared, and knelt forward so Ash would be able to climb onto its back.

Ash stepped forward but Dawn called out to him once more. "Ash...are you sure about this?"

Ash turned around and faced her once more, giving her a trademark confident grin. "Hey...no need to worry, right?"

Dawn let a tear slip through at the catchphrase. "Ash...you know that's when I worry most. Please...let me and Pikachu come with you!"

Ash's eyes widened at the request. As his mind processed it, two voices rang out from his memory:

_She loves you, Ash._ As spoken by Cynthia, and...

_...because neither of us may be coming back from this fight._ As spoken by N. The two thoughts merged together, and Ash knew he wouldn't do it.

_I can't risk their lives. _Ash thought in his head, sadly. _In the end, I'm on my own here._

Knowing what he had to do and that he might not live though the day, Ash realized it was now or never. _I want her to know if I don't...make it._

He ran forward to the girl, cupped his hands around her face, and pressed his lips against hers. Dawns eyes widened in surprise but she quickly gave in to the action she had only dreamed about in the past. It was Ash's first kiss, and it wasn't the circumstances he wanted it to be under, but it still meant the world to him. And she felt the same.

"...well, alright kid!" Alder said, proudly,albeit feeling awkwardly out of place.

After a few seconds, Ash broke the kiss, and pushed Dawn away from him gently. "...sorry. I'm not risking your life. You mean too much to me."

Too stunned to react, Dawn watched as Ash ran from her and onto the back of Zekrom. Without looking back at her, Ash commanded Zekrom to take to the sky to battle Reshiram. He had to do this alone.

* * *

><p>As Zekrom ascended, Ash heard the voice he heard earlier calling out to him.<p>

_Ash._

_Wha? Zekrom is that...you? Were you the voice I heard?_ Ash thought, remembering how Sabrina had invaded his mind back in Saffron City.

_Aye, lad. I can feel your Aura. It allowed me to pure into your soul and see that you are indeed worthy to wield my power to stop N._

_How...how are you able to do that?_ Ash wondered.

_The moment Reshiram chose someone, I was destined to become bonded with a noble spirit of opposite ideals. And that person was you. For this, we are kindred spirits. Let us link minds together with your Aura._

_Say what now? That doesn't make sens-uuuuuuuuuuhh..._ Ash had begun to think, but was cut off when he realized that it hadn't been a request, but warning. He felt a warm, prying sensation in his forehead. It had stunned him momentarily, before he snapped back to his senses. He felt...inexplicably different, but at the same time, like nothing had changed. He was just much, much more aware of Zekroms presence, powers, and capabilities.

Zekrom and Reshiram faced each other in mid-air.

"I knew, Ash!" N yelled to him from the distance. Even over the high-altitude winds, Ash could hear him clearly, hear the excitement in his voise, "I knew it would boil down to me and you! Reshiram, Fusion Flare!"

"Zekrom, Fusion Bolt!" Ash commanded in response.

The massive flare and the lightning bolt collided in the sky, causing a blinding light and loud crackling noise.

_Master, watch out, _Zekrom's voice advised in Ash's mind. Ash looked up to see Reshiram speeding towards them.

_Crap, get out of the way! _Ash thought.

Zekrom responded by swerving to the left as Reshiram sped past them. It then dawned on Ash, _I can issues orders mentally?_

_Yes, that is why I decided to link our minds together. Strategically, Reshiram and his chosen won't know what's coming until they recognize the attack. I would advise to do as such._

_Thanks, buddy! Fight back with Giga Impact!_

Zekrom followed suit and flew after Reshiram. As Reshiram and N turned back to face them in the air, Zekrom slammed his mass into its opponent.

Reshiram was thrown backwards but recovered quickly. "Blure Flare, Reshiram!" N yelled out.

_Move, Zekrom! _Ash thought in his mind, but was horrified to hear:

_I can not yet. My apologies, master._

_Oh right, you need recovery time after Giga Impact. Well...this is gonna suck._

The intense blue flames scorched Zekrom, causing him to roar out in pain.

_Zekrom, counter with Bolt Strike!_ Ash commanded mentally.

Zekrom covered itself with mystical electricity, brushing off the flames, and sped towards Reshiram.

Ash realized that the electricity was covering himself as well, but it wasn't hurting him. Before he could question it, Zekrom reassured him mentally, that, _I would not allow my power to harm my chosen, master._

Reshiram looked prepared for the attack, and Ash formed a strategy in his mind

_Zekrom, if he catches your attack, counter with Zen Headbutt._ Ash commanded.

_Yes, master._

_And stop with the whole master thing, it's freaking me out._ Ash couldn't help but think.

As Ash predicted, Reshiram had managed to catch Zekrom with its forelegs. Zekrom reared its head back for Zen Headbutt, but Reshiram opened its mouth for Hyper Beam.

Zekrom made contact with Reshiram's jaw the split second before Hyper Beam went off, causing an energy explosion as well, knocking both dragons away from each other, howling in pain.

"Zekrom, are you alright?" Ash yelled out, clutching onto the Deep Black Pokemon's back.

_Yes, mas-Ash, I can still fight. I shall forewarn you now; these are how our battles have always been waged. The chosen heroes tend to forget that this is their war to fight as well; its not just about issuing commands._

The words struck Ash with a brilliant idea. _Fly into the smoke cloud above Reshiram. I have a plan._

As N recovered his eyesight, he looked around, trying to find Zekrom. _Come on,_ N thought angrily, _I need to finish this quickly. I can't let that boy win._

Reshiram made a grunting noise to call out to its trainer. N looked to see Zekrom swooping around - without Ash.

"Where'd the boy go? Did he kill him? Is it over?" N asked, anxiously._ Where is that little..._

"Hey buddy, just thought I'd drop in for a visit." Came a young voice behind N.

N turned around, startled, to see Ash standing right behind him, head and hands giving off a faint purple glow.

N meant to open his mouth in shock, but didn't even get that far before Ash swung his right fist into the side of N's face, and followed it up with a left uppercut under the teen's chin. N slumped down on top of Reshiram, groaning in pain.

Realizing its hero was in danger, Reshiram began thrashing. But this was fine with Ash; he hadn't planned on staying anyway. He ran off to the side and took a flying leap off of Reshiram into the sky itself.

Upon seeing this cunning maneuver, both Alder, Pikachu, Piplup, and Dawn gasped worriedly. Pikachu himself realized that the group had instinctively huddled together to watch the events, and that all of them were trembling with fear. He felt something wet drop onto the top of his head, and looked up to see Dawn crying softly as she watched.

After falling a brief period, Ash whistled loudly to signal Zekrom to catch him. Just as planned, the dragon swooped down and Ash landed, albeit slightly painfully, on Zekrom's back.

_Alright, now Dragon Pulse, Zekrom! _Ash issued.

Zekrom did a barrel roll in the air, firing the purple energy wave at its opponent. With no command from N, who was still climbing back up to a sitting position, Reshiram took the hit and roared out in pain.

_I admit, that was a good plan._

_Thanks! Now, follow up with Bolt Strike!_ Ash thought, heart racing from the anticipation.

Once again, Zekrom's tail generator whirred, and the dragon covered itself with electricity as it charged after itself destined opponent.

"Extrasensory, Reshiram!" Ash heard N command through what sounded like a bloody lip.

The psychic attack caused Zekrom pain, but did not deter him from ramming into Reshiram, who also cried out from the shock.

_Hang in there Zekrom! Use Dragon Pulse again! _Ash thought.

Zekrom fired off his attack, as Reshiram fired off another Hyper Beam. The attacks collided and once again an explosion came.

* * *

><p>Back on the castle, Ghetsis watched from the throne, and realized it was time to initiate his insurance policy. He flicked a switch on the arm of the throne.<p>

The smoke cleared, and this time, it was Ash who was looking around in confusion. _Zekrom, do you see Reshiram or N anywhere?_

_No, chosen one, I do not-_

Both were interrupted by a Fusion Flare that came from off to the left of them that blasted Zekrom in the side. Zekrom roared in pain but rolled to the side, to try and see where the attack came from.

Ash looked around frantically. He could hear the swooping noise of Reshiram flying, but he couldn't see from where. _Zekrom, what's he doing?_

_This is not one of Reshiram's abilities. I can feel his presence, but I can no longer see him. The chosen of Reshiram must be using some sort of cloaking device._

On the castle, Alder realized what was going on as well, and pointed an accusing finger at Ghetsis. "So is that how you did it? Is that you snuck everyone into our building?"

Ghetsis just smiled evilly. "Watch now, Alder, as your empire falls."

"ASH, PLEASE BE CAREFUL!" Dawn screamed to the heavens, not caring if the boy could hear him.

* * *

><p>Outside of the castle, Cynthia had managed to limp out of the League building just in time to watch Zekrom take flight against Reshiram. After seeing the battle, she had witnessed Reshiram vanish from sight as if dissapearing. She grimaced. "Come on, Ash...it's up to you now."<p>

* * *

><p>"Keep moving Zekrom, don't make it easy for them." Ash said to his dragon.<p>

Zekrom weaved through the skies dodging Fusions Flares as they came at the pair.

_I need to find them...can't see them...can't see them._

Then Ash slapped his forehead, feeling like an idiot for not remembering that part of his Aura abilities was to be able to do that sort of thing.

_Oh right, Aura. Zekrom, you said we're linked at the mind, right?_

_Indeed. Do you have a strategy?_

_Yes. Enter my mind. I'll try to find Reshiram with my Aura. You prepare to fire a Dragon Pulse the second we find them._

_Understood._

Ash closed his eyes as Zekrom continued to take evasive maneuvers. It was much harder to focus amidst the sounds of Fusion Flare blasting all around him, and the sporradic flight patterns of Zekrom. _Come on, Ash, focus!_

Finally, he thought he was beginning to see something, but was lurched forward, breaking his concentration as Zekrom was nailed with Hyper Beam.

"Ah! Zekrom, hang in there!" Ash yelled, growing angry and more determined. He snapped his eyes shut again. He was in a state of pure, determined focus now. He wasn't aware of it, but now all of his body was radiating a dark, purple aura that was visible even to Alder, Dawn, Cynthia, Pikachu, Piplup, and Ghetsis. His field of "vision" expanded all around him. He couldn't pinpoint Reshiram himself, but finally, off in the distance to his right, he spotted the amber-colored form of N.

_There, Zekrom!_

_I see it as well!_

Zekrom fired Dragon Pulse off at the direction Ash had seen N, and scored a direct hit. Reshiram roared in pain, and the attack caused the cloaking device to malfunction, rendering the dragon and N completely visible once more.

_Fly up and hit him with Fusion Bolt!_

The black dragon did as such, rocketing upwards before launching the powerful bolt down as it struck Reshiram, leaving him stunned.

_Finish him off with Giga Impact! Knock him back down to the castle._

Zekrom focused its entire might as it flew downwards towards its eternal foe. N tried to issue a command for Reshiram to counter, but the Vast White dragon could not muster up the power. Zekrom slammed into Reshiram from overhead, sending N and his dragon careening down and smashing onto the top of the castle.

Ash and Zekrom landed on the roof of the castle. Zekrom unleashed a tired, but triumphant roar of victory over its defeated foe.

Ash hopped off of Zekrom to see N kneeling in front of his unconscious dragon.

N stood and mournfully faced Ash. "How...how is it that...everything I ever believed in was wrong?"

"Because, you ignored what was right in front of you! I've never mistreated my Pokemon the way Team Plasma has! And I'll do anything to protect them...and I'm not the only person who feels this way." Ash cried out in frustration. He just simply couldn't understand why N wouldn't listen.

But N looked down at his feet. "Then maybe...then maybe I was wrong?"

Before N could divulge his thoughts any further, Ghetsis let out a furious scream, "NOOOO!"

Ghetsis ran forward off the throne in a furious anger. N turned around at the scream and asked, in a confused, childlike voice, "Father?"

But Ghetsis didn't care. He pulled a knife from his robe and drove it into N's stomach.

"No!" Ash cried out in fury. Pikachu jumped out of Dawn's arms and protectively joined his trainer's side.

As N stumped to floor, crying, bleeding and muttering in pain. Dawn clasped her hands over her mouth, then angrily pointed to the last sage before shrieking. "You monster! That was your son! How could you do that to your own son?"

Ghetsis laughed cruelly, before turning to spit on N's body. "Him? He's no son of mine. This failure...this miserable excuse for an heir. Do you have any idea how long I've been planning the Reign of Ghetsis?"

"Reign of Ghetsis? ...of course. This was never about Team Plasma, was it?" Alder asked.

Ghetsis laughed once more. "Correct, ex-champion! I've been planning this day for twenty years. TWENTY! YEARS! Twenty years I researched the myths surrounding Zekrom and Reshiram, and to harness their powers so I could become the lead power of Unova, nay the world. To own all the Pokemon in the world, and make all of them, and the people, bow down before me. But then I realized...they only answer to the pure of heart. Oh, what a foolish notion!"

Ghetsis looked down greedily at N, who was trembling as the blood flowed from his wounds. "All I needed was someone with a pure heart...that of a child. It was simple really. I snuck into a home, killed the boy's parents, and left with him. He coudn't have been a few weeks old. I had abandoned and neglected Pokemon raise the child, so that I could twist a pure, innocent nature into going along with my goals: getting Pokemon away from trainers, rendering them helpless."

"You...you've set him up for this, his whole life?" Ash yelled out, feeling his anger rise. He didn't see his purple Aura, still flowing from his body, grow brighter by the second. By now, Alder was staring at the boy's back with curiosity.

"Ash...your Aura..." Dawn whispered.

"You're right. I did. I crafted him to hold an idea of freeing Pokemon, while never allowing him to grow up. In his mind, he's still a scared little boy, trying to hide behind hurt Pokemon that he thinks are his friends. But I'm not defeated yet. I will kill all of you. I will forcibly taken these wounded dragons, and I WILL LEAD UNOVA TO MY OWN GLORY!"

Ghetsis unleashed his Elektross. Instinctively, Ash placed himself in front of Alder and Dawn to protect them.

Ghetsis sneered. "Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse."

"What?" Ash yelled out in surprise. Hydreigon flew up the side of the castle, revealing itself from hiding, and blasted a stunned Zekrom with the purple wave of energy. Zekrom roared in pain and slumped onto the ground. Ash ran over to his dragon. "Zekrom, no!"

_I'm sorry...master..._

_I'm not your master...I'm your friend. _Ash thought, sadly, as Zekrom lost consciousness.

Ghetsis then issued another Dragon Pulse attack.

At Dawn.

Ash's Aura flared up without his knowledge. He ran from Zekrom's side and threw himself in front of Dawn, planting himself firmly in front of her with his arms spread wide.

As the energy rushed towards him, he could feel his Aura clearly, surging through every nerve ending in his body. He could use it.

"PROTECT!" He screamed to the heavens, hoping it would work.

Aura formed a barrier in front of Ash, absoring Hydreigon's assault, leaving the castle roof in a cloud of smoke.

"Ash...how did you...?" Dawn whispered to the boy in front of her.

Ash pretended not to hear the girl as we walked forward.

"No Ghetsis. Just you and me." Ash declared. At his words, a protective barrier en-capsuled Ghetsis and his Pokemon with Ash and Pikachu. Outside of it, Alder and Dawn both pounded against it, trying to get in to help Ash.

Ash looked over his shoulder. "No. You guys, get out of here. I won't let anything happen to you."

"But Ash-" Alder began, but Ash cut him off by yelling, "JUST GO!"

Alder reluctantly turned and ran to escape the castle, grabbing Dawn's left arm to pull her and Piplup away as well. But Dawn broke her grip from him at the last second. Piplup, worriedly, tugged at her boot to get her to come along.

"ASH! You can't die...you said...you said you'd take me to a play!" She yelled to him.

"I will." He answered. "I promise." But he couldn't look her in the eyes, because he knew in his heart, it wasn't a promise he could guaranty he could keep.

Piplup pushed at her to get her to go down the stairs to flee the castle. She obliged, distraught, but before she closed the door over her head, she paused, and shouted to him, "I LOVE YOU, ASH!"

Ash felt his spirits lift as the words filled him with hope. He turned to Ghetsis, who had released all six of his Pokemon: Elektross, Cofagrigus, Hydreigon, Bouffalant, Seismitoad, and Bisharp. Pikachu stood in front of Ash, protectively sparking his cheeks.

"How touching." Ghetsis sneered. "Shall we begin."

_I'm on my own against a murerous psychopath. And I'm already down five-to-six. Lovely._

Ash threw forward all of his remaining team: Krookodile, Staraptor, Sceptile, and Charizard.

_Have the odds ever really stopped me from trying though?_ He thought.

Ash closed his eyes and focused. _This time, I'm serious._

His Pokemon looked at their trainer in confusion, before Ash's voice rang out in their heads.

_Can you guys hear me?_

Ash opened his eyes, and all of his team nodded in confirmation. Pikachu looked at him in disbelief, but gave him a thumbs up; Ash linked his mind to theirs the way Zekrom had done to him.

_Good. I will command you mentally. Be careful, and go kick some ass._

His Pokemon turned and charged Ghetsis' team.

"Hmm, a worthy effort. Elektross, use Thunderbolt on the bird." Ghetsis commanded.

_Easy enough. Staraptor, dodge at the last second. Krookodile, since you're immune take the hit, and latch onto Elektross with Crunch._

Ghetsis watched, awaiting a counter command from Ash, but was shocked when Staraptor followed Ash's mental orders, and Krookodile took the hit instead, fighting right through the electric blast and latching his massive jaws onto Elektross instead.

"How...how are they doing that without your instructions?" Ghetsis yelled, taking his eyes off the team and looking at Ash.

_Bad move. Sceptile, use Leaf Blade on Seismitoad. Charizard, use Flamethrower on Bouffalant._

Sceptile's attack landed perfectly, knocking out Seismitoad in one hit. Bouffalant cried out pain as it was torched by Ash's first Fire Type. Ghetsis was snapped from his state of surprise as Ash evened up the score. "Bouffalant, Head Charge on the Sceptile. What are the rest of you standing around for? Hydreigon, Focus Blast on Krookodile, Bisharp, use Night Slash on Pikachu, Cofagrigus use Shadow Ball on Charizard, and Elektross, you better shake that damn thing off before Focus Blast hits you too!"

_Pikachu, counter with Iron Tail, then zip around to distract it. Charizard, dodge and use Flamethrower on Hydreigon. Staraptor, use Close Combat on Bisharp. Sceptile, dodge with Agility and try to hit Hydreigon with Leaf Blade as well. Krookodile, swing Elektross in front of you so it takes the full attack!_

Iron Tail clashed with Bisharp's blades, stalemating each other. Bisharp tried to desperately hit the smaller, quicker target. This allowed Staraptor to carry out its command and unleash the powerful combat move on Bisharp from behind for massive damage.

"Stone Edge!" Ghetsis yelled in response.

Bisharp was able to hit Staraptor mid-attack, and the attack quickly wore down the bird Pokemon. It finished off Staraptor with a Night Slash attack.

_Pikachu, finish Bisharp off with Thunderbolt!_

Pikachu followed the mentally transmitted demand, and fired a powerful electric bolt at Bisharp, knocking it out.

Bouffalant had emerged from the flames and was charging Sceptile while still on fire. Sceptile was able to get out of the way, and charged up his Leaf Blade attack.

"Poison Jab, Bouffalant!" Ghetsis commanded as counter.

The two attacks collided, damaging both Pokemon and knocking them both backwards.

Charizard flew out of the way of Shadow Ball, and unleashed a stream of fire at Hydreigon in hopes to interrupt Focus Blast. Hydreigon was able to fire off the attack, but was scorched by the intense flames from Charizard immediately afterwards.

Elektross was frantically trying to shake Krookodile's painful Crunch attack off of him, but Krookodile's jaw was too powerful. When Krookodile saw the attack coming, he firmly planted his feet onto the roof of the castle and swung Elektross in front of him.

Ash gasped in horror when the attack was so powerful, it knocked both Elektross and Krookodile out. _Not part of the plan! I'm so sorry Krookodile! How strong is that Hydreigon?_

Ash surveyed the battle area to see he was down to Pikachu, Charizard, and Sceptile. Ghetsis' team had been narrowed to Hydreigon, Bouffalant, and Cofagrigus.

"Bouffalant, use Head Charge on Charizard!" Ghetsis yelled angrily as he too looked over the battlefield.

_You know what to do Charizard; catch him and show him your Seismic Toss!_

Charizard proved that his training had proved off as he latched onto Bouffalant's horns and completely stopped the bull Pokemon in its tracks. Charizard hoisted the Normal Type into the air for Seismic Toss.

_Alright, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Cofagrigus! Sceptile, use Leaf Storm on Hydreigon._

As his other two Pokemon released their attacks, Ghetsis formulated a counter demand:

"Cofagrigus, stop the leaves with Psychich and aim them at Pikachu! Hydreigon, use Fire Blast on Sceptile."

The plan, unfortunately, went off without a hitch. the leaves curved around and hurtled towards Pikachu. Both Pikachu and Cofagrigus were hit with the attacks aimed at them, both were able to recover and continued the battle.

Sceptile was unable to withstand the Fire Blast attack, however, and was quickly downed by Hydreigon.

Around that time, Charizard fulfilled Seismic Toss, slamming Bouffalant to the ground to finish it off.

"Cofagrigus, use Shadow Ball to get rid of that obnoxious Pikachu! Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse to take out Charizard." Ghetsis yelled, an anxiety rising in his voice, as if he could sense the conclusion of the battle riding on these moves.

_Wow, I've been neglecting teamwork, haven't I? Pikachu, hop on Charizards back while he evades Dragon Pulse. Then use Thunderbolt on again. Charizard, use Dragon Rage on Hydreigon when you get an opening._

Charizard lifted off the ground, and Pikachu hopped onto the dragon's back. Charizard swooped over Dragon Pulse and opened its mouth for Dragon Rage. Pikachu scampered up to Charizard's head and began charging up Thunderbolt.

Ghetsis' Pokemon looked prepared to dodge or counterattack, so Ash decided to try something else.

_Switch targets, guys! I mean, it worked on Team Rocket..._

So at the last second, Charizard turned the attack on Cofagrigus, who had been focusing on Pikachu. The powerful ray of blue fire knocked the Ghost Pokemon out. Pikachu as well began shocking Hydreigon, who grunted in pain.

But Ghetsis was not amused. "Through the pain, Hydreigon. Use Dragon Pulse again."

Despite being shocked, Hydreigon fired Dragon Pulse again, this time scoring a direct hit on Charizard, knocking the other dragon out. Pikachu was forcefully thrown off of Charizard, but was able to land on his feet in front of Ash.

Hydreigon, likewise, stomped down in front of Ghetsis and roared angrily.

"Well now...it's all come down to this. I don't know how you managed to manipulate your...freakish, light-show powers, but this almost seems a fitting end to our battle." Ghetsis said confidently, knowing that his Pokemon had a large power advantage.

"Can it." Ash grunted, angrily. His Aura flared around him. _Pikachu, be careful, this thing is crazy strong. Try to get close to it with Quick Attack._

"Fire Blast, Hydreigon!" Ghetsis commanded.

Quick Attack was easily able to evade the massive fire attack. Still, Ash thought out to his best friend, _be careful. Don't get close if it means getting hit._

"Looks like we need wider range. Hydreigon, use Surf!" Ghetsis commanded.

A giant amount of water came gushing out of Hydreigon's mouth rapidly.

_Ah...think, think, think - got it! Pikachu, quickly hop overheadand shock the water with Thunderbolt!_

Pikachu hopped as high into the air as he could, fired the electric attack down at the water. Electricity traveled up the water and began to shock the inside of Hydreigon's mouth, causing it to cease the attack and roar in pain.

Ash then realized something. _Pikachu, almost all it's attacks are rays or beams that Hydreigon shoots! Hop on it's back where it can't get you!_

Pikachu did as instructed, landing on top of the Brutal Pokemon's back. Hydreigon immediately began thrashing wildly, trying to get Pikachu off of him.

_Pikachu, use Thunder!_

But Pikachu was being thrashed around too hard to be able to focus on launching attack. Likewise, Ghetsis kept yelling instructions to his dragon, but Hydreigon was not listening in the slightest.

Everyone jumped as Zekrom, who had been laying, knocked out, on the battle field issued a tired roar to the heavens. As he did, a lightning bolt crashed down, breaking through Ash's Aura, striking Pikachu. The bolt charged Pikachu's electricity to unfathomable levels, but Ash was thrown face-first onto the ground from having his Aura barrier broken.

Surging with an incredibly power, Pikachu let out the largest Thunder attack he had ever managed in his life. It lasted for a good twenty seconds, before he finally ran out of energy to keep the attack going.

Hydregion collapsed underneath the Electric Mouse.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Ghetsis dropped to his knees, wordlessly. Ash ran over to Pikachu and scooped his exhausted companion into his arms. Tears of joy poured down his face as he squeezed his friend.

"It's over Pikachu...we did it." Ash said, brimming with pride.

_Schwink._ Ash heard that noise and his blood ran cold. He looked up to see Ghetsis advancing towards him slowly, knife in hand. Ash began backing away.

"Looks like we're both out of Pokemon, boy." Ghetsis said, pace quickening slightly.

Ash didn't take his eyes off the man as he continued to back away, trying to will his body to move faster after using so much of his Aura.

Ghetsis ran forward, and raised the knife...but that's as far as he got.

With the last of his energy, N, who had been lying at Ghetsis' side the whole time, bleeding, pulled the knife from his stomach and tackled Ghetsis to the ground from behind. Before Ghetsis could comprehend the situation. N used the same knife that Ghetsis had used on him to stab the sage in the back. And stab him again. And again. And again. And again, until Ghetsis was no longer struggling from under the teenager.

Ash fell onto his rear, watching the scene in horror. "N..."

N lazily rolled off the man who had claimed to be his father and slowly stood up. Ash quickly retook a standing position, unsure of N's motives.

"Ash...you...your friend was right. You are truly amazing." N said through pained breaths. He turned and tried to walk towards the fallen Reshiram.

"N, you need to come with me, or you're going to die!" Ash yelled out as he ran over to the older boy.

N let out a grim laugh. "Is that so bad? I've done terrible things for a terrible person. I thought I was going to be a hero to Pokemon...but who would have thought that -" N coughed violently, but managed to regain his composure, "...who would have thought that the boy that both you and I considered a failure for some time...would be the real hero."

The castle began to shake. "W-wha? What's happening?" Ash yelled.

N chuckled sadly as he looked at Ghetsis' corpse. "That selfish man. He rigged the castle to collapse in the event of his death. I never understood why he would do such a thing until now." N turned to Ash, face turning deadly serious. "Run, Ash."

Ash hesitated for a second. "But what about-"

"Go. I will stay with Reshiram. He chose me. I will stay by his side, no matter what. Ash...go...go be the hero of another story."

With that N collapsed next to Reshiram.

Ash recalled Zekrom to its Pokeball and took off down the stairs to the fourth floor of the castle. A shake in the castle threw him from the stairs, crashing on the cold floor below. Ash felt a sharp pain in his leg, but ignored it completely, as he continued running while carrying the exhausted Pikachu.

The halls seemed to stretch as Ash ran down them, almost taunting him with how long they were as he progressed from the fourth floor to the third, third floor to the second, and finally reached the first floor. By then, the walls were actively beginning to crumble around him. He dodged and ducked past falling debris, as he reached the front gate, ramming it open with his shoulder.

He landed on his knees outside of the castle, but sprang up again and continued to run in order to get a safe distance away. But once the castle collapsed, a shock-wave rippled the earth, sending Ash flying forward and onto the grass field, finally blacking out.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Ash woke up (with a splitting headache) to see Dawn, Alder, Cynthia, Pikachu, and Piplup's faces peering down at him. They all broke out into relieved smiles as he sat up and rubbed his forehead. Climbing to his feet shakily, he looked back to see the rubble of Team Plasma's castle behind him. It seemed poetic in a way, as it reminded him of how the Pewter City Gym looked after the night of Team Plasma's first attack.<p>

He groggily turned back to his friends. "So...this means we won, right?"

They all sweatdropped but laughed at the boys question, as Alder clapped him on the back with pride. "No way Ash. YOU won!"

Ash rubbed the back of his head wearily. "Heh...I guess."

Cynthia limped over to Ash, but didn't say anything. She just had a massive smile spread across her face.

"Is...is something wrong?" Ash asked, nervous at the weird reaction the champion was having.

Cynthia continued to smile but shook her head. She took everyone by surprise as she pulled Ash into a massive hug. Ash especially was put into an awkward position, as he realized that him being about a head shorter than her put his face in a rather...compromising position.

"I'm so proud of you, Ash. You went above and beyond anything we ever could have hoped for you. Thank you so much, Ash." Cynthia finally said after letting go of the young man, who's face was an interesting shade of red.

"I er...y-yeah, no problem." Ash stammered.

Dawn walked up and looked Ash in the eyes as his blush fell. And they stood like that for a little while, just staring.

A few League officials came running from the building; apparently, Marshall, despite his injuries, had located them all and freed them from behind bound and gagged throughout the building. They quickly checked in on the group, and went over to the debris of the castle to begin an official investigation.

Alder looked over at Cynthia and smirked. "Let's go help with the investigation."

Cynthia nodded and they left the two kids alone for the time being. Pikachu, who was well enough to stand on his own by now, and Piplup also exchanged looks, and turned their backs to their trainers to give them a little privacy.

Dawn just stood there, smiling at Ash. Ash smiled back at her, but blushed once more. "What?"

"I...I always knew you could do anything Ash. I..umm..." She broke her gaze to look down. "I meant what I said...I-"

"I love you too, Dawn." Ash said, sincerely. "I'm still very good with all this...romance stuff, so I can't give a big mushy speech or something, but...I know I do. I could tell...just...with everything we've been through in this. I love you too."

Dawn smiled and allowed herself to lean forward and fall into Ash's arms as the words, while nothing special, made her melt. The two kissed once more, this one much more passionate than the hurried one that was shared on Team Plasma's castle.

For the first time since that fateful night in Pewter City, Ash finally did not feel like a failure any longer.

* * *

><p><strong>End STORY. There will be an Epilogue.<strong>


	15. Epilogue

**Failure Hero**

**Epilogue**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

* * *

><p>Ash always made sure to visit this place on the day it happened.<p>

It was a small place, just outside of Pallet Town in the Kanto region. It was peaceful there. The trees and flowers grew in harmony, and Rattata roamed the fields, looking for stupid travelers to steal food from.

The small graveyard was where Ash made sure to come to on the anniversary of the Pewter City Gym Bombing, as it was dubbed by the media. It was where both Lance the Dragon Master and his mother, Delia Ketchum, had been laid to rest after the event took their lives.

It had been hard. But life doesn't always take care of loose ends in happy ways. A month after returning home, Ash arrived at the hospital to visit his mom, only to find she had slipped away peacefully the night before.

It was a very painful time in Ash's life. But at the same time, it was almost a mercy. The doctors had begun losing hope on Delia waking up, and it was heartbreaking for Ash to see his mother in that state everyday: hooked up to machines, keeping her alive artificially.

A service was held, and Ash was touched at how many people showed up. People from journey's he had been on that he was sure would have forgotten him by now, all of his friends, and even some rivals, had shown up to pay their respects and lend Ash their support.

Dawn never left his side throughout the whole ordeal. It had been a blessing, because despite all he had been through, Ash had no idea how to cope with something like this. Dawn had lost her father at a young age, and was a big source of moral support for Ash throughout the whole thing.

Professor Oak helped Ash sell the house. Despite all the memories, Ash knew he couldn't live there; it hurt too much. Ash even insisted that the Professor take half the money to help fund research. Ash just loaded the rest of it in a savings account as it was; the money itself even reminded him of his mom.

His friends - all of them, Brock, Tracey, Misty, May, Max, Iris, Dawn and more - offered for him to come stay with them. They were all worried about his well-being with all he had been through in the past few months.

But in truth, Ash was able to cope fairly well after the initial shock. Dawn had helped him get over the loss...and then he was okay. He had been preparing for the news ever since he left the hospital months ago to take Lance's Pokemon to Professor Oak. He had told himself that he may lose his mom, and had worked it out in his head as much as he could. And the fact that he had taken down those responsible for his mother's death just brought him some peace of mind after the fact.

Still, he drifted around, staying with various friends periodically, not wanting to be a burden, but...unsure of what to do with his life. He remembered feeling lost, not really sure where to go now that he had taken down Team Plasma. It all seemed different.

But then...Cynthia found him. She told him that without a Champion, an emergency League Tournament was opening to all Kanto trainers with 8 badges. She had taken the liberty of entering Ash, fully believing that he was indeed a worthy and capable candidate for the position. The winner would take on the Elite Four and claim the title of Champion of Kanto. Furthermore, a separate tournament would be held for Johto, as they were finally going to split and have their own League, Elite Four, and Champion.

It wasn't long after his eleventh birthday that the tournament began. This time was different. Every tournament before had just been about achieving his original goal of being a Pokemon Master. But this time, he almost felt he had to win it, for his mom, and everyone he fought so hard for while against Team Plasma.

But Ash had one rule for himself: he did not use Zekrom in the tournament. If he was going to win, it would be under his own training abilities, not relying on an unfair advantage. So he used the team he originally assembled against Team Plasma: Pikachu, Charizard, Sceptile, Krookodile, Palpitoad (who evolved during the events of the tournament), and Staraptor. And he succeeded.

Two months later, he toppled Kanto's Elite Four to become the youngest Champion the Kanto region had ever seen.

But all that? It was five years ago. Ash Ketchum, at the age of sixteen, still held the title of Kanto Champion. And much like Cynthia told him, the position came with a lot of responsibilities - it wasn't just battling. He became the head authority of the Kanto region, and had literally no idea how to handle it. Luckily, Cynthia, Wallace, and Alder helped him adjust to the new lifestyle. It took some time, but Ash managed to get the hang of it.

But still, he was an adventurer by nature; he still traveled the regions, trying to find new Pokemon and expand his team. And he of course traveled to support his girlfriend, Dawn, as she competed in various contests in the regions as well.

But he always came back to this spot on the day it happened. To talk to his mother, and keep her "up to date" on his life.

"...and the kid sent out a Moltres against Pikachu. A Moltres! But yeah, we won. It was a good battle though." Ash said aloud to his mother's tombstone.

He paused as his gaze lowered to his feet. "...I miss you, mom. I hope you'd be proud of me. I mean, I change my underwear everyday, so I know you'd be happy about that..."

"Ash! Ash! Oh...there you are!" He heard a voice he loved call from behind him.

He turned to see Dawn running towards him through the graveyard. She stopped next to him and leaned against his side, facing his mother's grave as well.

"I had a feeling you'd still be here," she said, although not angry about it, "I think you make these conversations longer every year. Are you okay?"

Ash wrapped an arm around her waist. "Now that you're here? Never better."

Dawn rolled her eyes. That had become something of a catchphrase for the two of them now. But even still, she found it sweet and loved to hear it.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we need to leave now, or we're going to miss Alder's wedding." Dawn stated, nuzzling herself closer to Ash in the cold autumn breeze.

Ash laughed, and they turned to exit the cemetery. "I still can't believe he's marrying that secretary. I thought he was joking when he told me about it. Just trying to get me to admit that I liked you."

Dawn giggled as well. "Well hey, at least he won't be chasing around Nurse Joy's or Officer Jenny's anymore."

Ash smirked. "Yeah, Brock can have them all."

Dawn laughed. "Yeah, some things never change, that's for sure. So..." She paused before changing the subject, looking over to him. "Are you sure you can travel through Johto with me while I compete in the Contest circuit?"

Ash smiled to his girlfriend and reassured her, "Of course. Johto is right next door to the League, and there isn't a tournament scheduled for some time. If I'm needed they can always call or I can fly in."

Dawn smiled back. "Alright, well, just making sure. Because I was thinking of maybe challenging the gyms there too..."

"Yeah?" Ash asked, surprised, "What made you decide on that one?"

Dawn shrugged. "Ever since the whole Team Plasma thing, I kind of picked up a knack for straight battling as well. I mean, it's worth a shot."

Ash gave her a supportive squeeze around the waist. "I bet you'll do great. Just don't challenge the Kanto Gyms...I would hate to have to crush you in battle." He replied, teasingly.

She slapped him on the arm. "Oh stop it. You're just afraid to lose to your girlfriend. Keep that up, and you won't get anything for your birthday coming up. Speaking of, what do you want for your birthday anyways?"

Ash's pace slowed a bit, causing Dawn to give him a questioning look. "What is it?" She asked suspiciously, "Is it something embarrassing?"

Ash blushed. "Er...yeah, a bit."

Dawn rolled her eyes, turned to him, cupped his face with her hands, and stood on her toes slightly to kiss him. "Ash," she cooed, "we were each others first in everything: kissing, boyfriend and girlfriend...making love."

Ash grinned bashfully at the statement, and Dawn continued. "You can tell me anything."

Ash looked away, as he confessed. "Okay...well...remember when we were first traveling together with Brock in Sinnoh, and uh..."

Ash paused, clearly feeling very embarrassed with his question. Dawn tilted her head and replied, "Yeah...but I mean, you'll need to be a little more specific." She finished with a wink to tease the flustered young man.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Well...remember we had to help out in that cafe?"

Dawn nodded. "Where are you going with this?"

Ash groaned, hoping she would have caught on. "Well uh...you had...you know, dress up as a French Maid..."

Dawn's eyes widened in shock and she turned a deep shade of red. "A-Ash! I had no idea you were...into that kind of thing. You really want me to dress up as a French Maid for your birthday?"

Ash rubbed the back of his head and flinched. "Yeah...is that bad?"

He closed his eyes, expecting to get slapped. He opened his eyes when the impact never came, to see Dawn smiling and shaking her head.

"I never realized my boyfriend had a naughty side!" She replied teasingly, linking arms with him and leading him to where their Pokemon were waiting for them. "Come on, we need to go get ready."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. _Well, doesn't sound like she'll do it, but it could've gone worse._

* * *

><p>One month later, the two were in a small side town in Johto, staying overnight in a Pokemon Center. Despite it being Ash's birthday, Dawn sent the now seventeen-year-old to the PokeMart for a few things. Grumbling at the request, Ash opened the door to the room he and Dawn were sharing.<p>

And his jaw dropped. _Holy shi-she remembered?_

Dawn stood before him, completely decked out in a French Maid costume.

Ash made some sort of vague, stuttering gibberish noise at the sight.

Dawn walked up to the flabbergasted young man and brushed a feather-duster in his face. "Bonjour, monsieur," she said in her best french accent, "I 'ope you von't mind if I do some tidying up for vous."

With that, she turned and strutted back towards their bed, making sure to swing her hips noticeably, before bending over to "dust" the bed.

Ash dropped the bag he was carrying and threw his vest on the floor. _This is the best freaking day of my life._

* * *

><p><strong>The end!<strong>

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or subscribed to my story. It means a lot to me, and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it (which is a lot).**

**And for the epilogue? Hey, I had to give Ash and Dawn a break, they sure went through a lot. I hope it wasn't too much.**


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